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Author
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Topic: Photo of the week 375 (December 31, 2011)
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heng44
Member Posts: 3387
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 12-31-2011 03:04 AM
   
 
Today’s photo is another treasure from the Gemini archives. It shows Gemini 7 as seen from Gemini 6 during the historic first rendezvous in December 1965. Spacecraft 7 is partially obscured by the nose of 6. Zooming in on the window we can see Gemini 7 pilot Jim Lovell pointing a camera (or a light meter?) at 6, obviously enjoying the company. Happy New Year!
Ed Hengeveld |
Henry Heatherbank
Member Posts: 244
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 12-31-2011 03:43 AM
This is an interesting photo so soon after the Gemini 10 in-cabin video (on another thread) showing just how cramped the interior of the Gemini spacecraft was.There is a better appreciation of how little room Lovell (and Borman) would have had on Gemini 7, and how Lovell's face would have been pressed up against that window!! I grew up wanting nothing more than to have flown on a Gemini, but after seeing these photos, I'm not so sure any more!! |
spaced out
Member Posts: 3110
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 12-31-2011 04:38 AM
Well, Lovell's face is pressed up against the window in order to get a shot of the other spacecraft, but it's certainly true that the interior was incredibly cramped.I've said before that in my opinion the toughest space mission ever undertaken was Gemini 7. By volunteering to suffer through it Borman and Lovell certainly earned their seats on the first mission to the moon. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2454
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 12-31-2011 08:14 AM
What has Lovell got on his head? Or is it a loose card from the flight plan? |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3208
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 12-31-2011 08:55 AM
Was there not a concern on the long-duration Gemini 7 flight that Borman and Lovell could develop serious circulation problems in their legs having to sit in the same position for 14 days? Or does weightlessness change all that? There was no EVA on Gemini 7 that would have at least given them an opportunity to stretch their legs. Was that because of limited consumables? I am surprised and impressed that both Borman and Lovell were able to walk off the recovery helicopter onto the deck of the USS Wasp with minimal assistance. |
mach3valkyrie
Member Posts: 719
From: Albany, Oregon
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 12-31-2011 09:53 AM
The Gemini Spacecraft interior has been compared to the front seat of a Volkswagen Beetle from that era, as far as cubic feet per man. However, I think I'd take the VW.
I think that's the helmet that was worn with the lightweight spacesuit on this mission we see on Lovell's head. |
heng44
Member Posts: 3387
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 12-31-2011 10:46 AM
quote:
Originally posted by moorouge:
What has Lovell got on his head? Or is it a loose card from the flight plan?
The Gemini 7 crew wore aviators' helmets under the soft hoods of their spacesuits. The 7 spacesuits were special because they could be removed in-flight. |
Tom
Member Posts: 1597
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 12-31-2011 11:03 AM
Great photo, Ed!Pretty amazing how close 6 and 7 got, especially with no intention to dock on this mission. How close did the the two spacecraft actually get? |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2454
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 12-31-2011 11:56 AM
Close - wasn't it about eighteen inches at their closest? |
ilbasso
Member Posts: 1522
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 12-31-2011 02:25 PM
In terms of habitable volume, the Gemini astronauts were much more cramped than Mercury. The Mercury capsule had habitable volume of 1.7 cubic meters. Gemini had 2.55 cubic meters, about 50% more than Mercury, with twice the crew! Apollo's Command Module was a comparably roomy 5.9 cubic meters, still pretty darned cramped, but at least enough for the astronauts to be able to move around.Lovell said that on Gemini 7, he could either straighten his legs or straighten his back, but not both at the same time. Even in weightless, this was uncomfortable. I look at those interior shots and wonder how an astronaut in the MOL program would have been able to turn around and go through a hatch at the rear of the cabin. Just doesn't seem possible! |
GoesTo11
Member Posts: 1309
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 01-07-2012 05:28 PM
quote:
Originally posted by ilbasso:
I look at those interior shots and wonder how an astronaut in the MOL program would have been able to turn around and go through a hatch at the rear of the cabin. Just doesn't seem possible!
I've wondered the same thing. I've peered into Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft, and walked through a B-17 bomber and a WWII-era submarine, all at 5'9" and around 165 lbs in shorts and a t-shirt and wondered "How do they move around in there, let alone with all that gear on?" (I'd have had another issue entirely with the hatch cut through the Gemini heat shield... but hey, that's why they picked test pilots, right?  ) |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3208
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-08-2012 10:39 AM
Hard to believe Borman and Lovell were in orbit onboard that Gemini 7 spacecraft longer than the flight of Apollo 17. Over a day longer, in fact. |
schnappsicle
Member Posts: 396
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2012
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posted 01-19-2012 06:15 AM
There was no need for light meters in space. They only used 2 different exposures; one for the outside, and one for in cabin shots. It looks to me like Lovell is holding a movie camera. It's definitely not a still camera. |
schnappsicle
Member Posts: 396
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2012
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posted 01-19-2012 06:16 AM
What amazes me most about this photo is just how much light bounces off the earth. The bottom of Gemini 7 looks just as well lit as the sun side. |
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