Just about two hours into the flight of Gemini 3, NASA's first two-man space mission 50 years ago Monday (March 23), pilot John Young reached into his spacesuit's pocket and pulled out a surprise.
"Where did that come from?" Gus Grissom, the mission's commander, asked his crewmate.
"I brought it with me," Young replied, somewhat matter of factly. "Let's see how it tastes. Smells, doesn't it?"
What Young revealed was the world's first — and possibly last — corned beef sandwich to fly in space...
Headshot Member
Posts: 891 From: Vancouver, WA, USA Registered: Feb 2012
posted 03-23-2015 07:00 AM
I remember that day well. Even though I did not get to see the launch live, I was on a school bus, I had brought my little Japanese transistor radio with, and listen to the mission the best I could, even in study hall (I used earplugs and the study hall teacher did not care, as long as I wasn't being disruptive).
I was very excited about the mission, even though most were not. People back then were fixated on the number of orbits and time in space. We had done a day and a half on Cooper's Mercury flight and the "Russians" had done many days on some of their missions. So a three orbit mission did not seem that important, especially since there was no "spacewalk" ... the new buzzword in March 1965.
I tried to explain the real importance of the mission, besides testing a new spacecraft, was that Gemini could maneuver in space, it could (and did) change its orbit! Of course some newspapers played up the fact that Gemini 3 did not sink, so that was a success inofitself!
onesmallstep Member
Posts: 1313 From: Staten Island, New York USA Registered: Nov 2007
posted 03-23-2015 08:48 AM
Finally we start the 50th anniversary celebrations of Gemini! Nice that we still have ten of the astronauts that flew around to help commemorate the missions.
What may not be as well known is Gemini 3 would have been called a name other than 'Molly Brown.' Grissom wanted to call his second command 'Wapasha,' after a Native American tribe that lived in his home state of Indiana. But a smart aleck pointed out that some may start calling the capsule the 'Wabash Cannon Ball,' after the song of the same name.
With Grissom's dad a veteran employee of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, Gus did not think his dad would appreciate the play on the Gemini's name. So he started thinking; ever mindful of the fate of Liberty Bell 7, he decided on Molly Brown, at that time the subject of a Broadway musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
After a NASA official protested, Gus responded, 'How about the Titanic?' But Grissom stuck to his guns, and the rest is space — and patch — history.
Headshot Member
Posts: 891 From: Vancouver, WA, USA Registered: Feb 2012
posted 03-23-2015 09:41 AM
I recall that Grissom's helmet faceplate was damaged during Gemini 3's descent. When the capsule snapped from the parachute's one-point suspension to two-point suspension Grissom apparently banged his faceplate against the control panel hard enough to physically damage it.
I have read conflicting accounts of the damage, e.g. it was just cracked to, a hole was punched through the faceplate, etc. Has anyone ever seen a picture of his damaged helmet faceplate?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 43576 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-23-2015 10:00 AM
Courtesy Retro Space Images' Gemini 3 disc:
onesmallstep Member
Posts: 1313 From: Staten Island, New York USA Registered: Nov 2007
posted 03-23-2015 10:11 AM
In this photo album taken at the Grissom Memorial Museum in Indiana, you can see Molly Brown, Grissom's Mercury helmet and the spacesuit he wore during Gemini 3, with the helmet next to it. You really can't tell if any damage is visible, as I can barely make out that the faceplate is in the 'up' position.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3324 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 03-23-2015 10:51 AM
His faceplate hit the reticle knob below the window.
Headshot Member
Posts: 891 From: Vancouver, WA, USA Registered: Feb 2012
posted 03-23-2015 10:06 PM
I didn't realize that size hole was punched in the faceplate. He hit hard!
Lunar Module 5 Member
Posts: 370 From: Wales, UK Registered: Dec 2004
posted 03-24-2015 04:58 PM
For those that don't know - I have posted the complete mission series for Gemini 3, available on YouTube.
tncmaxq Member
Posts: 288 From: New Haven, CT USA Registered: Oct 2001
posted 03-25-2015 05:38 AM
collectSPACE got a mention during the "This Morning" radio show (formerly "The Wall Street Journal This Morning") shortly before 6 a.m. ET today. They did a short story about John Young and the corned beef sandwich. Very interesting!
micropooz Member
Posts: 1532 From: Washington, DC, USA Registered: Apr 2003
posted 03-25-2015 11:07 AM
I remember that my 3rd grade teacher had a TV set up in our classroom to watch the launch. I distinctly remember hearing the "whoop" sound that the Titan propellant pumps made right before ignition, and thinking that was something that we hadn't heard with the Atlas and Redstone launches. And we hadn't...
schnappsicle Member
Posts: 396 From: Houston, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2012
posted 03-25-2015 12:56 PM
quote:Originally posted by micropooz: I distinctly remember hearing the "whoop" sound that the Titan propellant pumps made right before ignition
I was 9 when Gemini 3 launched. I'm not sure where I was at the time, so I can't tell you what I was doing during the mission. I actually remember very few of the Gemini missions. Obviously Gemini 4 and Gemini 6/7 stand out as does Gemini 8. Other than that, I can't remember anything about those missions.
Back in 1970, my mother bought me the Time-Life record set of all the missions through Apollo 11. Those albums were my introduction to the corned beef incident. As I remember, the album commentator downplayed it as nothing more than a practical joke. I found out years later that Young received some major criticism for it. A few people wanted him kicked out of NASA for it. Obviously cooler heads prevailed and we were left with one of the most talented and ambitious astronauts.
A few years ago, I bought the Gemini mission set from Spacecraft Films. I saw many of those missions for the first time. I too was amazed at the sound the Titan made just before ignition. At first, I thought it was the DVD making that noise. Then I heard it on the other launches and realized it was the Titan itself. It's a very distinctive and cool sound.
The thing I like best about the cS website is I get to find out things like the hole in Grissom's faceplate. I don't know why I never heard of that before, but looking at it, I'm amazed it didn't put a hole in his head. Did the chards cut him at all? I don't remember seeing any damage in ay of the recovery films or photos.
posted 03-23-2015 12:01 AM
advertisement