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Author
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Topic: Gemini 6: Same-day landing as Gemini 7
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LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 12-13-2015 08:42 PM
  
Before Gemini 6A launched on Dec 15, MCC told the orbiting Gemini 7 crew how they would bring back both vehicles on the same day, if they had to. This excerpt is at 214:44:43 in the mission transcripts: CC Gemini VII, Houston.C Go ahead, Houston. Gemini VII. CC Roger. I'd like to inform you of our latest thinking on the reentry situation in case we do bring both of you down on the fourteenth day. Present planning would be to use Revs 205 and 206, and we are able to target - we are able to target for the same touchdown point from both of those revolutions. So that's the way we would do it. And at the moment we feel we would want to bring VII down first and VI after that on Rev 206, although that could be changed, if necessary for some reason. C Roger. Thank you. |
randy
Member Posts: 2231
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 12-13-2015 09:13 PM
Why was that even being considered? |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 12-13-2015 10:06 PM
If they couldn't launch on the 15th, they planned another attempt on the 16th. Perhaps that would have meant landing on the same day. |
mach3valkyrie
Member Posts: 719
From: Albany, Oregon
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 12-13-2015 11:35 PM
That would have been an interesting twist in an already busy mission. |
randy
Member Posts: 2231
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 12-14-2015 07:52 AM
Ok. Thanks for the info. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 12-14-2015 09:36 AM
The 7/6 press kit has December 13 as the scheduled launch date for Gemini 6A, with launch windows on December 14, 15, 16 and 17. The launch date was re-scheduled for December 12, which was the pad abort. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 12-14-2015 12:29 PM
Two years earlier, Vostok 5 and Vostok 6 landed on the same day (June 19). Vostok 6 landed first.Back to Gemini. If the splashdowns were on-target, there would have been enough time to recover the first Gemini spacecraft before the second Gemini spacecraft landed one rev later. |
bunnkwio
Member Posts: 113
From: Naperville, IL USA
Registered: Jul 2008
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posted 12-15-2015 01:41 PM
I often wondered if Gemini 6A/7 had seen the other re-enter, or if that were even possible. Now I wonder if they've ever had the space station be in view of when the Shuttle or Soyuz have gone through the re-entry process. Would be a wonderful sight! |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 12-15-2015 01:52 PM
quote:
Originally posted by bunnkwio:
Now I wonder if they've ever had the space station be in view of when the shuttle or Soyuz have gone through the re-entry process.
Yes, on both: space shuttle (STS-135) and Soyuz (the latter from just last week). |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 12-15-2015 02:23 PM
...we feel we would want to bring VII down first I guess if the first splashdown was off-target significantly, they would rather have Gemini 6A stuck in orbit for an extra day or two. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2458
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 12-16-2015 12:17 AM
quote:
Originally posted by LM-12:
Two years earlier, Vostok 5 and Vostok 6 landed on the same day (June 19). Vostok 6 landed first.
The landing points for these flights were over 300 miles apart with that of '6' significantly to the east of the normal Soviet recovery area. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 12-17-2015 10:08 PM
quote:
Originally posted by bunnkwio:
I often wondered if Gemini 6A/7 had seen the other re-enter
The Gemini 7 crew did not see the Gemini 6A reentry. From the transcripts at 285:26:36 GET: CC: VII, did you observe the adapter from VI after the separation, and how did it travel with respect to you after they jettisoned it?C: We didn't even see VI retrofire. See, we were drifting very, very badly and when we tried to stop it, we found we didn't have any authority and it took a long time to get it stopped. CC: Roger. CC: So you did not see any of their retrofire or reentry? C: This is affirmative. CC: Roger |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 12-18-2015 02:32 PM
Not sure about the Gemini 6A pad abort though. The transcripts indicate that the Gemini 7 crew did not see the launch attempt, but this launch coverage mentions that they did. |
Matthew Ota
New Member Posts: 1
From: Covina, CA USA
Registered: Dec 2015
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posted 12-31-2015 01:17 PM
Gemini 6A did not have fuel cells. It used batteries for power so that limited its mission duration |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-01-2016 07:57 AM
The mission duration of the Gemini 6A flight was about 25 hours. The planned mission duration of the cancelled Gemini 6 flight was about 46 hours. |
Tom
Member Posts: 1610
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 01-01-2016 08:57 AM
Really? That's surprising... I always thought that the original Gemini 6 Agena flight was a three day mission similar to GT-8, 9, 10 and 11 flights. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-01-2016 09:19 AM
From the press kit: Gemini 6 is planned as a two-day mission. However, if all objectives are accomplished by the end of one day, the flight will be ended then. There was no EVA scheduled for the mission. |
mach3valkyrie
Member Posts: 719
From: Albany, Oregon
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 01-02-2016 10:21 PM
If I recall, Wally Schirra wanted the mission short and sweet if all objectives were met quickly, especially after all the delays they had. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-05-2016 08:15 AM
Gemini 6A was also planned as a two-day mission, with a 46:45 splashdown. |
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