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Author
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Topic: Photographs of Gemini 6A from Gemini 7
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LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-13-2011 08:51 PM
  
Were any good rendezvous photos of the Gemini 6A spacecraft taken back in December 1965?There were a lot of good photos of the Gemini 7 spacecraft taken from Gemini 6A, but I have only seen two not-so-good photos of the Gemini 6A spacecraft taken from Gemini 7. Is the "Beat Army" photo the best shot of Gemini 6A? The rendezvous took place toward the end of the long-duration Gemini 7 flight, so maybe Borman and Lovell were simply running out of film at that point. Were those severed umbilicals trailing the equipment module unique to Gemini 7? Looks like the spacecraft separation maneuver from the Titan launch vehicle was somewhat less than clean. |
heng44
Member Posts: 3413
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 09-15-2011 12:44 AM
Gemini 7 made a good number of photos of Gemini 6 during the rendezvous. But because 6 returned to earth first, their photos were widely published. When 7 landed the photos were no longer news. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-15-2011 07:23 AM
Even the NASA Human Spaceflight Gemini Gallery does not have those other photos of Gemini 6A that you mentioned.By the way, that gallery is pretty disorganized. You have to click on the Gemini 8 gallery to get the Gemini 7 photos, the Gemini 11 gallery to get the Gemini 10 photos, and so on. Nobody at JSC PAO has noticed this? It has been that way for a while, so somebody is asleep at the wheel down there. The low-resolution galleries are disorganized and the high-resolution galleries are incomplete. Not very impressive. |
space1
Member Posts: 861
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 09-15-2011 08:04 AM
The cord-like streamers seen behind Gemini 7 were not umbilical lines, but insulation strips similar to Mylar. They were also seen behind Gemini 6. They must not have been present for all Gemini spacecraft. Ed White did not see them on Gemini 4, although he did report the rough edge of the adapter separation plane. The streamers do not appear in Gemini 9 EVA photos. Right now I don't recall the mention of them in any of the four final EVA missions.I am thinking they were probably more related to equipment module experiment deployment rather than launch vehicle separation. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-15-2011 09:21 AM
Tom Stafford onboard Gemini 6A made this comment about the Gemini 7 aft end streamers in the mission transcripts: 06:16:03 P6 Looks like those wires guillotined off the booster and not at the spacecraft ... |
space1
Member Posts: 861
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 09-15-2011 10:03 AM
How's this for an obscure reference? Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 27, 1965, page 24, caption to a photo of the Gemini 7 adapter:
Dow-Corning DC-325 tape and tape shreds that covered leads to the explosive shaped charge that separated the spacecraft from the booster trail off to the right, but some are tangled with the magnetometer experiment boom. |
heng44
Member Posts: 3413
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 09-15-2011 11:55 PM
After checking: Gemini 7 took about 20 photos of Gemini 6 during the rendezvous and none were as good as the Gemini 6 photos. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-16-2011 03:57 AM
Thanks for that information. Could you post the best photo of Gemini 6A that you have? It might be a shot that I have never seen before. |
heng44
Member Posts: 3413
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 09-16-2011 01:55 PM
S65-64041 (cropped) S65-64046  |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-16-2011 02:13 PM
Great photos. After all these years, it is still a bit of a thrill to see some in-flight photos that I have never seen before. Thanks for posting. |
Rusty B
Member Posts: 239
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 09-17-2011 12:20 AM
The National Archives has many space pictures available online. Search here for "Gemini VI" and "Gemini VII" pictures. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-18-2011 12:37 AM
Thanks for the link. Very helpful and just what I was looking for.Check out NASA photo number S66-62984 that shows Buzz Aldrin inside the Gemini 12 spacecraft with a floating slide rule and a pipe - not exactly something you would expect to see in orbit. I have not seen that photo before. |
MichaelD
Member Posts: 90
From: Troy Michigan USA
Registered: May 2009
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posted 10-06-2011 10:26 AM
Rusty B, thanks for that National Archives link. I had never explored that area before, now my poor hard drive is burning up and time to get another to fill up! |
mikepf
Member Posts: 444
From: San Jose, California, USA
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 10-06-2011 02:46 PM
I have always been fascinated by these photos. They are just awesome. Thanks for posting them. |
328KF
Member Posts: 1251
From:
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 10-06-2011 03:51 PM
quote:
Originally posted by LM-12:
Check out NASA photo number S66-62984 that shows Buzz Aldrin inside the Gemini 12 spacecraft with a floating slide rule and a pipe - not exactly something you would expect to see in orbit.
Can anybody think of a reason to have a pipe in your mouth without actually smoking it? Do we think it could be possible that Lovell allowed Aldrin to smoke his pipe onboard the spacecraft?Back in those days, most everybody smoked. It was a pure O2 environment, but at very low pressure, and any odor no doubt would be swept away during the EVA's. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 10-06-2011 03:53 PM
quote:
Originally posted by 328KF:
Can anybody think of a reason to have a pipe in your mouth without actually smoking it?
I can think of at least one: posing for a photo designed to look candid... |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 10-06-2011 04:06 PM
Looks like they have things under control onboard Gemini 12. |
bwhite1976
Member Posts: 283
From: Belleville, IL
Registered: Jun 2011
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posted 10-06-2011 06:50 PM
My first impression of Aldrin's pipe was that it was more of a creature comfort while in orbit. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2458
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 10-07-2011 01:39 AM
Isn't there a photo with one of the two showing a sign "Beat Navy"? Can't remember whether it was 6 or 7. |
heng44
Member Posts: 3413
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 10-07-2011 08:10 AM
S65-64040 - This is a (cropped) Gemini 7 photo showing Gemini 6. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2458
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 10-07-2011 01:39 PM
Thanks Ed. OK - it was 'Army' not 'Navy' - another senior moment!!I believe it was a reference to the inter-service football game that was taking place about the time of the flights. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 11-25-2011 07:54 AM
NASA photo S65-65948 is an interesting and unique post-flight 'rendezvous' photo of Gemini 6A and Gemini 7 on the dock beside the USS Wasp. It is hard to tell which one is which - they look like identical twins. |
Tom
Member Posts: 1610
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 11-25-2011 01:42 PM
Looking at these great photos of the Gemini 6 and 7 spacecraft raises a question. Why were the noses so different?S/C 6 had a white cover (similar to Gemini 9 photo below) while S/C 7 did not. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 11-25-2011 04:53 PM
The Gemini 7/6 Press Kit mentions on page 59 that modifications were made to the Gemini spacecraft to support a rendezvous mission. Those modifications included the installation of a transponder in the Gemini 7 nose to receive and return signals that were sent from the rendezvous radar system in the Gemini 6A nose.Maybe that is why they look different. |
Tom
Member Posts: 1610
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 11-25-2011 07:37 PM
That explains it...thank you! |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 11-26-2011 05:54 PM
Another rendezvous modification was the addition of two acquisition lights on the Gemini 7 adapter section. The flashing lights could be seen at a distance of about 23 miles. |
spacecraft films
Member Posts: 802
From: Columbus, OH USA
Registered: Jun 2002
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posted 11-26-2011 09:05 PM
And of course all of the onboard film from both missions is on our Gemini set... |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 11-27-2011 04:14 AM
Gemini 6A is on display at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City, and Gemini 7 is at the National Air and Space Museum annex in Virginia.Gemini 6A and Gemini 7 displayed side-by-side would make a great exhibit. Even better would be nose-to-nose - just like in orbit. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-06-2012 12:43 PM
quote:
Originally posted by LM-12:
By the way, that gallery is pretty disorganized.
Looks like somebody at JSC finally noticed the problem. The HSF Gemini Gallery mix-up has been fixed in their 01/30/2012 update. The gallery is still incomplete though. |
ilbasso
Member Posts: 1522
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 02-06-2012 01:12 PM
quote:
Originally posted by LM-12:
...It is hard to tell which one is which - they look like identical twins.
You could probably tell from the smell!
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LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-06-2012 01:51 PM
Only if you were actually there. Can anyone tell from the photograph which spacecraft is which? |
BarryLowe
Member Posts: 25
From: Castle Rock, Colorado, USA
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 02-06-2012 04:01 PM
At Spacefest III, I had Tom Stafford sign a Gemini 6/7 rendezvous photo. I mistakenly thought that Jim Lovell had taken the picture from G7, but Tom Stafford explained to me that the had taken the picture from G6. He said you could tell it was G7 in the photo because that spacecraft had a gold colored circular reflector on the nose that helped G6 locate them. G6 did not have that reflector. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-06-2012 04:11 PM
Thanks for that explanation Barry, but the photo we were referring to is S65-65948 taken after splashdown and posted back on November 25. |
Rusty B
Member Posts: 239
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 02-06-2012 07:09 PM
It's interesting that in the photo (NASA photo S65-65948), it appears that both Gemini re-entry modules have had the external skin panels removed around the RCS jets in the nose. Probably to drain and service the toxic fuel / oxydizer system. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-06-2012 07:40 PM
Only one spacecraft is strapped down. |
Rusty B
Member Posts: 239
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 02-06-2012 10:22 PM
quote:
Originally posted by LM-12:
Only if you were actually there. Can anyone tell from the photograph which spacecraft is which?
If you look at close-up, in-orbit photos, of the Gemini 7, there is a little depression/oval port (with a red outline) just ahead of the co-pilots window (maybe 6-inches). I don't see one on the Gemini 6 in orbit. Looking at the side by side recovered spacecraft, the left spacecraft seems to have that little depression/oval port (or at least a shadow) just ahead of the co-pilot window. Maybe the left one is the Gemini 7? |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-07-2012 05:04 AM
Good observation Rusty. I think you might be right. You can clearly see that red depression in the S65-63194 rendezvous photo of Gemini 7, but you cannot see it in the "Beat Army" photo of Gemini 6A. You can also see the depression in NASA photo 65-H-1887 taken on launch day in the Pad 19 White Room when the Gemini 7 hatches were closed. |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 02-07-2012 08:13 AM
The "Beat Army" reference was for Frank Borman. Frank went to West Point while Jim, Tom and Wally were Naval Academy graduates (even though Tom Stafford decided to join the Air Force as his service upon graduation). Of course, Buzz Aldrin played the joke going the other way when he unveiled a "Go Army, Beat Navy" banner on one of his Gemini 12 spacewalks about a year later (probably because Lovell was a Navy man). quote:
Originally posted by 328KF:
Can anybody think of a reason to have a pipe in your mouth without actually smoking it?
I seriously doubt Aldrin got to smoke it with the risk of burning tobacco floating free from it in zero gee. As was earlier said, it was probably there for familiarity and perhaps a candid photo opportunity. Many professors sometimes like to hold and/or chomp on pipes even if they aren't smoking them or can't do so (such as in a science lab or in a class). Considering Buzz had the nickname "Dr. Rendezvous" I wouldn't be surprised if he was the same way. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-09-2012 05:45 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Rusty B:
If you look at close-up, in-orbit photos, of the Gemini 7, there is a little depression/oval port (with a red outline) just ahead of the co-pilots window (maybe 6-inches). I don't see one on the Gemini 6 in orbit.
That depression might be the "black cavity" shown outside the PLT window in this S65-28643 photo illustration of the S-8/D-13 Visual Acuity Experiment that flew on both Gemini 5 and Gemini 7. |
John Charles
Member Posts: 342
From: Houston, Texas, USA
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 02-09-2012 09:40 PM
quote:
Originally posted by 328KF:
Can anybody think of a reason to have a pipe in your mouth without actually smoking it?
I didn't believe it was a pipe, even after seeing the photo myself. But one of the NASA image sites said it was, so I concede the point. But Aldrin (and Lovell) knew the disastrous effects of an open flame in the pure oxygen atmosphere of the Gemini capsule — even at 5 psi. I am quite sure the pipe remained unlit for that reason. |
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