Skyman says, 50 years ago today: Gemini 6 rendezvoused with Gemini 7.

[SkyMan]

Fifty years ago today, December 15, 1965, Gemini 6 rendezvoused with Gemini 7. It was the first time ever that humans had performed a rendezvous in space. This was perhaps the moment that the US overtook the USSR in the "Space Race". Certainly in conjunction with Gemini 7's two week long space flight (basically to test human endurance in space), this marked, as Churchill would call cleaning the Axis out of North Africa, "... not the beginning of the end, but rather the end of the beginning". From here on out the US, for the most part, ruled the Space Race.

 

All the major space accomplishments from that time forward have depended upon rendezvous, whether it be the Apollo space ships in lunar orbit, the US/USSR/Russian ships going to space stations, or astronauts tending the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit. Without rendezvous, none of that would have been feasible.

 

Astronauts were allowed to bring (subject to weight limits) personal items aboard a flight. These items were stashed in their PPK (personal preference kits). Before each flight the head of the astronaut office Deke Slayton had to sign off on the contents of each PPK. Here is the PPK list that Wally Schirra, the Commander of Gemini 6, submitted to Slayton. To the best of my knowledge it is the only PPK list from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo (MGA) era that has survived, and I own it. I have been looking around for some time to find out if ANYONE knows anything about the "1950-D" coin (see # 3). Needless to say, I'd love to buy it if it comes onto the market with an authentic provenance trail.

 

 

Anyhow, here are pix of mission flown patches I have from both missions, as well as some pictures (some signed) taken during the missions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RWB]

What happened to some of the other personal items, such as the gold and silver medals?

 

(Once they docked, did it become Gemini 13? --

[SkyMan]

What happened to some of the other personal items, such as the gold and silver medals?

 

(Once they docked, did it become Gemini 13? --

 

The gold (plated) and silver medallions are Fliteline medallions. They show up every now and then at auction. Given the range of their condition, they tend to go anywhere from ~ $700 to ~ $2,000.

 

Actually Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 never docked. Gemini 6 was originally scheduled to rendezvous/dock with an unmanned Agena spacecraft. That craft blew up during launch. So it was decided by NASA management that Gemini 6 would launch AFTER Gemini 7 was launched and then rendezvous with it. During the mission, Gemini 6 closed in to within 6 inches of Gemini 7, but could not actually dock with it. The first full on rendezvous/docking was on Gemini 8.

[RWB]

Ah.....I'd forgotten the details, although I remembers watching on TV.

 

So it was really Gemini 6-7/8ths.....

 

NASA kept getting bogged down in politics rather than science....where could mankind be if NASA had kept pushing forward.....? (Rhetorical question.)

[Matt_dac]

Very cool! I too collect space memorabilia (PSA autographs - nothing space flown) and get them framed up nice with patches and pictures.

 

 

[johnny9434]

them days sure were something else.

[thebeav]

The 'Buffalo Evening News' paper today reprinted the front page from 50 years ago on todays back page. This story was the headline, of course....

 

Paul

[Lakesammman]

Have you checked with Mad Marty on the 50-D??

[SkyMan]

Have you checked with Mad Marty on the 50-D??

 

From ATS someone pointed out that Schirra's son's name was Marty.