Project Gemini Trivia Quiz

Answer: 3 orbits

Two unmanned Gemini missions, in August, 1964 and January, 1965, paved the way for this mission. Gus Grissom, who flew the second Mercury mission, Liberty Bell 7, in July, 1961, became the first American to travel in space twice. For John Young, this would be the first of six missions he would make--two each during Gemini, Apollo and the Space Shuttle. Gemini III covered the three orbits in just under five hours.

Answer: Gordon Cooper was the command pilot

Some of the most celebrated photos of all time are those of Edward White floating free outside his Gemini spacecraft. This first American extravehicular activity (or EVA) came nearly three months after Alexei Leonov's historic spacewalk. White and fellow U.S. Air Force pilot James McDivitt spent four days in space, June 3-7, 1965, and covered 62 orbits.

Answer: Fuel cells

The first week-long manned mission ever attempted by the United States, Gemini V's use of fuel cells proved to be a pivotal piece in the moon-landing puzzle. Also of note was the fact that Gordon Cooper, the mission's command pilot, became the first American to orbit the earth on two separate missions.

Answer: Faulty mission-start indication

On December 12, 1965, the Titan II booster underneath Gemini VI-A shut down seconds before launch (the first on-pad abort in American history). But in the capsule, the mission clock had started. Neither Schirra nor Stafford felt any motion. Firing the ejection seats, the method of escape from the Gemini spacecraft, would've killed them if the booster hadn't moved. And if they stayed put, and the Titan had indeed lifted off the pad before the shutdown, they would be dead.

It wasn't until later that engineers determined that the plug controlling the countdown clock pulled out of the Titan booster prematurely. Changes were made to prevent that from happening again. Gemini VI-A lifted off three days later.

Answer: Frank Borman and James Lovell

Because Gemini VI-A's mission was changed, Gemini VII actually lifted off first, on December 4, 1965. Borman and Lovell had already spent more time in space than any American astronauts by the time Schirra and Stafford made it to orbit. In fact, Gemini VII would be the longest American space mission up until the first Skylab mission in 1973.

Answer: Performing the first emergency landing

Armstrong and Scott had two primary objectives during Gemini VIII--rendezvous and dock with an Agena target vehicle, and, for Scott, spend time outside the spacecraft working on EVA techniques. The successful docking was marred by a stuck thruster on the Gemini spacecraft itself.

The thruster caused the docked spacecraft to roll, then after the two spacecraft separated, caused the capsule to roll even faster. Armstrong and Scott had to use their reentry thrusters to stop the nearly fatal roll, and returned home after more than 10 hours of flight. Gemini VIII was, thus, the only mission in the series to splash down in the Pacific Ocean.

It was also the second shortest flight in the entire program.

Answer: The crew successfully docked with its Agena target vehicle

Gemini IX-A's legacy is one befitting Murphy's Law. The death of the prime crew, astronauts Elliott See and Charles Bassett, in an airplane crash in February, 1966, started the chain of events that included a computer-related launch delay, a lost Agena target vehicle, and an alternate docking target that refused to shed its aerodynamic shroud. Tom Stafford became the first astronaut to fly a second Gemini mission. And as part of two hours worth of EVA, Eugene Cernan tested a portable manuevering unit that was the forerunner of the modern Manned Manuevering Unit used by space shuttle astronauts. Gemini IX-A covered 47 orbits over three days, June 3-6, 1966.

Answer: Gemini VIII's Agena target vehicle

Astronauts John Young and Michael Collins were the first crew to use the Agena target vehicle's propulsion systems to modify a Gemini spacecraft's orbit. That enabled them to meet the history-making Agena target that Gemini VIII had docked with in March, 1966. Part of the ninety minutes that Collins spent during EVA involved spacewalking over to the dead Agena target and retrieving a cosmic dust-collecting panel. Gemini X covered 43 orbits during its three days in space, July 18-21, 1966.

Answer: Charles Conrad and Richard Gordon

Naval aviators Conrad and Gordon set an all-time altitude record for an American spacecraft in Earth orbit, by attaining an apogee (the highest point in orbit) of 1,374 kilometers (854 miles). (Apollo 13 holds the all-time altitude record for a manned spacecraft, but that mission did not take place entirely in Earth orbit.) Gordon spent over two hours outside the spacecraft on two separate EVAs. Gemini XI covered 44 orbits over the course of three days, September 12-15, 1966.

Answer: 5.5 hours

Buzz Aldrin is credited with pioneering the use of neutral-buoyancy underwater training to prepare for EVA. He put that training to good use during Gemini XII, as he completed three different EVA sessions during the four-day mission, the longest of which was a two-and-a-half hour stand-up EVA on the second day (November 12, 1966). No American spent more time outside of a spacecraft in flight until the space shuttle program, though it is worth noting that five of the six Apollo moon-landing teams each logged more time on the lunar surface.