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When discussing manned space missions, the two American programs that are the most talked

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about are the Mercury and Apollo programs.

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One program that does not get as much attention, but which was instrumental in getting man

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to the moon, was Project Gemini.

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The Gemini missions flew between the Mercury and Apollo programs and allowed astronauts

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and planners to practice many of the procedures that would be important for future moon flights,

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paving the way for man to walk on the moon.

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Early in January of 1962, Project Gemini began.

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Because of the large time frame between Project Mercury and the Apollo flights, it became

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clear to NASA officials that more training in spaceflight was necessary to get men to

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the moon and back safely.

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Unlike the Mercury capsule, which could only hold one astronaut, the aptly named Gemini

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capsule could hold two astronauts and could be maneuvered in space by the crew.

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The ability to maneuver in space allowed astronauts to train for space rendezvous and docking.

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Learning these procedures would be critical to successfully return from a lunar surface

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and docking with the command module in lunar orbit.

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Gemini also needed to provide useful information about how the human body and man-made equipment

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would respond in the harsh environment of space.

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Up to that time, no one knew exactly what would happen to astronauts after being exposed

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to long-term microgravity.

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The program would consist of 10 manned missions, all of which were to be completed in 12 months.

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After two unmanned missions, the first manned mission, Gemini 3, was launched on March 23,

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1965.

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The flight was a complete success, proving how easily the astronauts could maneuver the

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craft.

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The flights that followed all saw success as well, including the first American spacewalk

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on Gemini 4, the first docking with two vehicles in space by Gemini 8, and a long-duration

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mission which lasted 14 days by Gemini 7.

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With the final flight of Gemini 12, all of the major objectives were met as well as many

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other mission objectives.

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With all the critical theories tested and proven, it was time for Apollo to go for the

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moon.

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The 10 manned Gemini flights spanned 603 days and accumulated over 1,940 man-hours in space.

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Of the 20 astronauts who trained for the Gemini flights, 15 of them went on to subsequently

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fly on Apollo missions in the lunar program.

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As the successes grew in Project Gemini, it became clear that man could, should and would

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fly to the moon and back safely, making history in the process.

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Because the crew consisted of two astronauts, the project was named Gemini for the third

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constellation's twin stars, Castor and Pollux.

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Coming up, we'll find out how NASA is helping to reduce aircraft noise.

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But first, did you know that the Gemini 3 was the only Gemini spacecraft to have a nickname?

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Because capsule commander Gus Grissom's previous spaceflight ended in the sinking of the Liberty

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Bell 7 capsule in the Atlantic Ocean.

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Grissom decided to name his capsule the Molly Brown, after the Broadway musical, The Unsinkable,

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Molly Brown.