Gemini 4 Experiment Debriefing, 1967

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M-913-65-04
BACKGROUND
Project Gemini is the stepping stone between the comparatively simple one-man
orbital flights of Project Mercury and the complexities involved in the multi-man
lunar flights of Project Apollo.
As such, Gemini's prime reason for being is to
increase knowledge of man's capabilities in space and in developing operational
techniques to support the Apollo Program.
Thus, Gemini's objectives become:
a.
b.
c.
Long-duration flights - up to fourteen
Rendezvous and maneuver in space
Docking with a target vehicle
days
d.
Extra-vehicular activities by the astronauts
e.
Control led reentry
f.
Operational training for al I flight personnel concerned
To accomplish these objectives, a series of flights have been planned of which
this GT-4 is the fourth.
The first three demonstrated respectively:
orbital
insertion capability, spacecraft structural integrity, and crew accommodation
qualities.
The four-day manned flight will further demonstrate manned space
flight capabilities for the support of future missions of even longer duration.
The remaining eight Gemini flights, all of which will be manned by two
astronauts, are tabulated in Table VI ' with type of missson and approximate date
of flight:
Mission No.
GT-5
GTA-6
GT-7
GTA-8
GTA-9
GTA-10
GTA-11
GTA-12
TABLE VI
Mission Objectives
Seven-day flight with experiments*
Radar rendezvous and docking
14-day Extra-vehicular activities
Optical rendezvous and docking
Simultaneous countdown and
rendezvous
Direct rendezvous
Apollo-LEM rendezvous simulation
Apollo-LEM abort simulation
Date
Latter 1965
Early 1966
Early 1966
Early 1966
Mid 1966
Mid 1966
Late 1966
Early 1967
*Includes rendezvous evaluation pod
The planned end-of-the-mission touchdown point is in the Atlantic Ocean approxi­
mately 400 miles southwest of Bermuda as is shown in Figure 23. This is the primary
landing area. The GT-4 mission employs a zone concept for recovery which estab­
lishes four recovery zones: East Atlantic, West Atlantic, West Pacific and Mid­
Pacific. Each zone consists of a circular area with a radius of 240 nautical miles
in which various ships and planes will be stationed. An aircraft carrier will be sta­
tioned only in the primary landing area as ii lustrated in the recovery forces diagram
5/24/65
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