Gemini 3 (Full Mission 2)

Video from the channel lunarmodule5 about Gemini 3, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 1:07:43. Language: English. Video type: Archive footage.

This is the second installment of a Gemini 3 mission report built from the original mission audio. It covers the first orbit of the spacecraft Molly Brown, crewed by Gus Grissom and John Young. The voice of the mission's public affairs officer (PAO) can be heard, along with the internal loops of mission control, including communications with the spacecraft and tracking stations. Silences have been trimmed, so the footage runs shorter than the real orbit time.

The audio was recorded during the mission itself. It picks up mission control and the network of stations receiving the spacecraft's signal: the Canary Islands, Kano, the tracking ship Coastal Sentry Quebec in the Indian Ocean, Carnarvon (where Pete Conrad is stationed), the Rose Knot Victor, and Guaymas. The orbit ends over Texas, where the main maneuver takes place.

After an initial maneuver of about 15 seconds, control calculates that velocity has increased by 12.6 feet per second. Suit and cabin temperatures are normal, and the flight surgeon confirms both crew members are fine. Over the Canary Islands a yaw problem appears: a thruster seems to be losing propellant and the primary DC-DC converter is lost. Control proposes cycling the propellant switch and moving to secondary electronics. An orbit of 87 by 121 nautical miles is reported, with a period of about 89 minutes. Around minute 51 the flight director clears the crew for the second orbit, and Grissom reports seeing the lights of Perth.

Other incidents also come up. A blood pressure reading for Young comes out at 175/125, but it's unclear whether the cuff is properly connected. Oxygen pressure reads off-scale due to a faulty pressure switch, and the crew is asked to switch the heater to manual. Vice President Humphrey leaves mission control along with Dr. Seamans. A rescue C-54, with one engine feathered and another malfunctioning, diverts to Las Palmas. At 1 hour 32 minutes into the flight, over Texas, forward thrusters 11 and 12 fire for about 75 seconds (48 feet per second) to circularize the orbit at about 100 miles. The PAO confirms the maneuver was successful. OAMS propellant has dropped only 3%, and source pressure stands at 250.