posted 01-17-2016 07:02 AM               

Space Cover #352: Gemini 7/6 at 50

Fifty years ago last month, Gemini 6 performed the first-ever rendezvous with another spacecraft, Gemini 7. The Bob Rank Velvet Cachet above is my favorite Gemini 7/6 cover. It shows both crews and a somewhat accurate depiction of the rendezvous (the two Gemini spacecraft nose-to-nose). It was hand cancelled at Cape Canaveral on the Gemini 7 launch date of December 4, 1965, and the Gemini 6 launch date of December 15, 1965, which also happened to be the date of the rendezvous.

This spectacular mission came about because the original Gemini 6 mission was scrubbed on October 25, 1965 when its intended rendezvous target, an Agena rocket engine, failed to reach orbit. An ambitious plan was executed where Gemini 6 was destacked from the pad, Gemini 7 stacked, launched on December 4, Gemini 6 was quickly restacked, and attempted launch. The first attempt to launch Gemini 6 came on December 12 and was aborted as the engines came up to full thrust before liftoff. Covers for both of these scrubs/aborts can be seen on Space Cover of the Week 44.

Finally on December 15, Gemini 6 launched and performed a first-day rendezvous with Gemini 7!

Do you have any favorite Gemini 7/6 covers? If so, let's post them! And if you need me to host your cover image, just email it to me.