Gemini Flies - Dave Shayler

. .

Auteur(s) : Dave Shayler

Editeur : Springer International Publishing

Langue : Anglais

Parution : 31/03/2018

Expédition : 684

Dimensions : 24.1 x 16.7 x 2.0

ISBN : 3319681419

Résumé :
In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade. With just a handful of years to pull it off, NASA authorized the Project Gemini space program, which gathered vital knowledge needed to achieve the nation?s goal. This book introduces the crucial three-step test program employed by the Gemini system, covering: The short unmanned orbital flight of Gemini 1 that tested the compatibility of launch vehicle, spacecraft and ground systems. The unmanned suborbital flight of Gemini 2 to establish the integrity of the reentry system and protective heat shield. The three-orbit manned evaluation flight of Gemini 3, christened ?Molly Brown? by her crew. A mission recalled orbit by orbit, using mission transcripts, post-flight reports and the astronauts? own account of their historic journey.

The missions of Project Gemini was the pivotal steppingstone between Project Mercury and the Apollo Program. Following the success of its first two unmanned missions and the exploits of Gus Grissom and John Young on Gemini 3, NASA gained the confidence to plan an even bolder step on its next mission, as described in the next book in this series on Gemini 4.

Biographie:
Dave Shayler's interest in the U.S. Gemini program began during the late 1960s while reading about the later missions of Apollo astronauts as they prepared for the first lunar landings. The skills learned, which secured their seats on Apollo, were achieved during ten Gemini missions flown between March 1965 and November 1966. From that early research he learnt that Gemini was an important stepping stone to Apollo and though short, it was a critical program not only on the way to the Moon but also in planning future programs. Even today, nearly 50 years after the final Gemini spacecraft flew, the program holds a special place in the hearts of those who worked on the project. Over the years this research continued and resulted in visits to the NASA JSC facilities and archives in Houston and the NARA records offices in Fort Worth, Texas, where many of the official Gemini documents had been retired. Dave had the good fortune to meet and interview astronauts and engineers who worked on the program and access retired documentation from that exciting era. In 1976, as his interest in human spaceflight developed, Dave joined the British Interplanetary Society...

Sommaire: