- In
order to meet the target orbit Gemini 11 had to be launched
within a 2-second window—the shortest launch window
in the history of the Gemini program. Such a short window
did not allow room for any mistakes, and two launches
had already been delayed due to technical and weather
problems. The final launch went ahead successfully with
a launch in the first 1/2 second of the 2-second window.
- The
first task of the mission was to dock with the Agena
spacecraft in the first orbit, and 85 minutes after
launch, Gemini and Agena were docked. For the first
time, the astronauts repeatedly practiced docking and
un-docking the spacecraft. Several of the experiments
were started and the Agena engine was tested.
- After
6 hours in orbit, it was time for the astronauts' first
meal. An 8-hour rest period followed the meal. When
they woke up (in the words of Gordon, "bright-eyed
and bushy-tailed"), the only complaint they had
was about the dirty windows on the capsule. This had
been a problem for all the flights and the astronauts
were instructed to try to clean the windows during the
extravehicular activity (EVA, also known as spacewalk)
and bring the rag home for analysis.
- Preparation
then began for the EVA, during which Richard Gordon
was going to leave the capsule with an attached tube
providing his oxygen. Both astronauts needed to prepare
their suits for the vacuum environment of space that
they would encounter when the capsule hatch opened.
Also, all equipment needed to be secured to keep it
from being sucked out of the hatch. The astronauts were
so well rehearsed in preparing for the EVA that they
only took 50 minutes of the scheduled 4 hours. The remaining
time passed somewhat uncomfortably due to the suits
overheating.
- Gordon's
first task was to attach the 30-meter (98-foot) tether
between the Agena and Gemini. The job was exhausting,
and Gordon cut short the EVA after about 30 minutes
once he successfully completed the assignment. All the
Gemini astronauts found their EVA excursions to be tiring
since even the simplest tasks were harder than they
expected. Astronaut training at this stage was very
basic, and training in neutral
buoyancy tanks to simulate weightlessness was only
beginning.
- The
crew ate another meal and then went to sleep. The next
day the astronauts skipped breakfast and began suiting
up to prepare for the boost to a higher orbit. The Agena
burn took them to an altitude of 1,372 kilometers (852
miles). The acceleration pushed the astronauts forward
in their harnesses and Conrad yelled "Whoop-de-doo!
That's the biggest thrill of my life." From their
unique position 850 miles high above the surface of
the Earth, the astronauts took over 300 pictures as
part of the different scientific experiments. After
the 25th orbit the Agena was fired again to slow down
the craft and lower the orbit back to 304 kilometers
(189 miles.)
- Having
skipped breakfast, the astronauts were hungry so they
ate another meal and prepared for the second EVA. This
time Gordon would be standing in the open hatch of the
cockpit of the capsule. Gordon found this much easier
and completed his tasks with ease. Indeed, at one point
both the astronauts were so relaxed they fell asleep!
- Then
began the final task involving the Agena, known as the
tethered vehicle exercise. The idea was to simulate
gravity by spinning the two tethered craft. After some
initial problems making the tether taut, the astronauts
managed to spin the craft. The astronauts had their
evening meal and then tried to make the crafts spin
faster. The effects of the tiny amount of artificial
gravity created by the spinning were demonstrated by
releasing an object. Instead of remaining in position,
the object moved back towards the rear of the cockpit
along the axis of rotation. This artificial gravity
was too small for either of the astronauts to feel.
- Finally
the Gemini 11 and Agena un-docked and the astronauts
prepared for an automatic reentry under computer control—the
first time this had been attempted. The landing was
a great success, and the capsule touched down in the
ocean just 4.6 kilometers (2.9 miles) from the target
position marked by the U.S.S Guam, waiting with helicopters
to collect the crew and capsule.
References
On
the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini,
Barton C. Hacker and Charles
C. Alexander, Chapter 15-3
Lift
Off, Michael Collins. Chapter 2 p.103
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