Gemini 12

Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin give Project Gemini a spectacular finale

 

Prime Crew: James A. Lovell, Jr. (Command Pilot)

Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin (Pilot)

Backup Crew: Leroy G. "Gordo" Cooper (Command Pilot)

Eugene A. Cernan (Pilot)

November 11, 1966

59 Orbits

Gemini XII Composite Air-to-Ground and Onboard Voice Tape Transcription

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Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Jim Lovell, prime crew for Gemini 12, the last mission of a spectacularly-successful program. Buzz, a spaceflight rookie, was born in Montclair, New Jersey, and was a 1951 West Point graduate. He flew 66 missions in Korea in Air Force F-86s, during which time he shot down two MiG-15s. He returned to the States after Korea and then was assigned to a squadron in Germany. In 1963, just before being selected as an astronaut with The Fourteen, he got a doctorate from MIT in orbital mechanics-a pretty useful background for an astronaut! Lovell and Frank Borman set the record for the most time in space on Gemini 7, and they also completed the first orbital rendezvous with Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford's Gemini 6A. If all went as planned, Gemini 12 would make him the most experienced space traveller on the planet. NASA Photo.

 

  

After the problems encountered by Gene Cernan, Mike Collins, and Dick Gordon on their spacewalks during the last three Gemini flights, NASA knew that they had one shot to get it right on Gemini 12. The task of performing the EVA fell to Pilot Buzz Aldrin, and every effort was made to perfect the hardware, procedures, and training practices of EVA in time for his mission. For example, while the NASA KC-135 "Vomit Comet" could simulate zero-G conditions, it could only do so for a limited time-after a minute or so, you had to pull out and level off, to avoid crashing the plane! What the astronauts needed was a way to simulate zero-G for the duration of a spacewalk, which could range from minutes to hours. To that end, NASA decided to simulate zero-G underwater. With a pressurized space suit and the right amount of ballast, neutral boyancy could be achieved underwater; the astronaut would float, just as he would during a spacewalk, and since he would already be hooked up to the life-support system anyway, he could stay down there as long as needed. So a huge, swimming-pool-like Neutral-Boyancy Tank was built in Houston. A mock-up of the vehicle is placed in the tank, and the astronauts can practice EVAs in conditions very close to those experienced in space, while safety divers look on. Here, Buzz practices moving along the surface of the Gemini-Agena stack. NASA Photo.

 

  

Buzz works at the new EVA workstation mounted in the adapter section of the underwater Gemini mockup. For Gemini 12, special footpads and grab bars were developed; this gave the astronaut vitally-needed anchor points and leverage to get his work done while he was outside. It helped the human body, designed for 1 G, a lot more to work with than if you were just floating around loose, the way the first spacewalkers had been. NASA Photo.

 

  

Every space mission is planned, backup-planned, researched, studied, and simulated for every conceivable contingency for months before launch. Gemini 12, the last of the series, was no exception, and NASA put Jim Lovell in command of the mission to make sure it all went according to plan. He was an experienced test pilot, and he had more time in space than anyone in the world except Frank Borman, who flew all that time with him. Here, Jim makes sure his flight plans and checklists are in order before entering the simulator in Building 5 in Houston. NASA Photo.

 

  

The launch of this final Gemini mission was scheduled for Nov. 9, but a malfunction in the Titan II's backup guidance system is detected, pushing the date to the 10th to allow for repair. Then another bug is found in the system, pushing the date back yet again, to Nov. 11. Jim and Buzz put the extra time to good use by hitting the simulators-just to keep everything sharp. On the morning of the 11th, Jim and Buzz leave the suit trailer and ride the van out to Pad LC-19, where they are met by the press, the technicians, and well-wishers. Jim leads Buzz up the ramp to the elevator. Jim and Buzz have signs on their backs. Jim's says "THE" and Buzz's says "END." If all goes well, they plan on sending the Gemini program out on a high note. NASA Photo.

 

  

The Atlas-Agena lifts off from Launch Complex 14 at 2:08 PM EST. If everything checks out, Gemini-Titan 12 will follow the Agena into orbit in 98 min. NASA Photo.

 

 

The last Gemini-Titan lifts off at 3:46 PM EST, right on time. This is the last time Americans will ride an intercontinental ballistic missile into space. The Titan II stayed in both the Air Force and NASA inventories for decades. Thankfully, it saw more use as a launch vehicle than it ever did in its intended role. NASA Photo.

 

  

Gemini 12 hits orbit 575 mi behind the orbiting Agena. When they close in to 10 mi below and 75 mi behind the speeding target vehicle, Buzz goes to set the radar to lock on to the Agena, and discovers the lock-on feature doesn't work. He feeds the rendezvous data into the computer himself. They rendezvous with the Agena, and Jim eases the Gemini over and docks with it. Then they disengage and do it again a few times, before linking up for good and settling in for a meal. Next, they prepare to light up the Agena engine to boost them into an orbit about 460 mi high, but the engine doesn't cooperate. So everything in the flight plan having to do with that 460-mi orbit is cancelled-but there is still plenty of work to do. NASA Photo.

 

 

At the end of the first day in orbit, Buzz performs his first EVA, a stand-up EVA through his hatch, where he performs photography experiments with a 70mm Maurer camera. Once back inside, he and Jim discover that 2 thrusters are not working and the fuel cells are down on power, but they can still do most of what they need to do. So they settle in for a sleep period. On the second day, Buzz puts all of that underwater and KC-135 zero-G work to use. Using the newly-developed aids installed on the vehicles, he heads out and attaches the dacron tether to the Agena, and then heads back to the adapter section to try out the workstation. Once there, he anchors his feet in the footplates, and discovers, much to everyone's relief, that the new devices allow him to perform all the simple tasks before him-working ratchets, turning bolts, clipping wires, etc. This clears the way for future spacewalkers to work effectively in space, and a major goal of Gemini has been achieved. Before heading back inside, Buzz casts a pennant into space and says a few words in honor of Veteran's Day, which are broadcast around the world from Houston. Then he ducks back into the spacecraft and closes the hatch. He has been outside for 2 hrs 8 min, and unlike previous missions, he's in good physical shape when he comes back in. NASA Photo.

 

  

They undock with the Agena next and note that the tether tends to remain slack this time-avoiding the alarming bounce-back action encountered by Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon on Gemini 11-and finally release the tether about 52 hrs into the mission. Here, Jim watches the Agena recede in the distance through his window. The next day, Buzz performs another stand-up photography EVA, and when he is finished, they button up the spacecraft and prepare for re-entry. As with Gemini 11, they use the re-entry autopilot system to bring them home. NASA Photo.

 

Once again, the automatic system functions perfectly-although if anything went wrong, Jim could have taken over and flown the spacecraft through the re-entry himself. The recovery chutes deploy, and the main chute slows the plummeting spacecraft to a relatively leisurely descent. They are within sight of the recovery task force, and are tracked all the way down at close range by Navy Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopters. NASA Photo.

 

 

The main chute splashes Gemini 12 into the Atlantic about 600 mi southeast of Cape Kennedy. A bright-green dye marker is automatically released, but is not needed this time; the pilots of the recovery helos were already right on top of them as the main chute settled into the water. While Jim and Buzz secure the bobbing spacecraft, the lead recovery diver leaps from his SH-3 into the water to attach the flotation collar. Jim and Buzz will soon be on their way to the U.S.S. Wasp-they have splashed down just 3 miles from the ship-and Project Gemini will be over. NASA Photo.  

 

 

28 minutes after splashdown, Buzz and Jim are greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of sailors and VIPs on the wooden flight deck of the historic carrier. They pause to say a few words before heading in to remove the suits, get their medical exams, and begin their preliminary debriefing. Jim Lovell is now the most experienced space traveller around, with 425 hr 10 min 2 sec in space. Buzz has more spacewalk time than anyone else, too, having spent 5 hr 26 min outside during 3 EVAs. NASA Photo. 

 

Jim and Buzz shake hands in front of a scoreboard sign listing flights in the successful Gemini series. They were greeted at the Cape Kennedy Skid Strip Wednesday Nov. 16 by hundreds of NASA, USAF and contractor personnel who worked on the program. Project Gemini is over. It has been a spectacular success, and NASA has learned a lot about life in space. Now, NASA can concentrate on Project Apollo. America is going to the moon. NASA Photo.