Gemini-V (5)

Pad LC-19 ()

Titan-II (5)

Crew:

C. Gordon Cooper (2), Commander

Charles Conrad, Jr (1), Pilot

Backup Crew:

Neil A. Armstrong

Elliot M. See, Jr

CapCom:

Virgil I. Grissom (Cape)

James A. McDivitt (Houston)

Edwin E. Aldrin (Houston)

Neil A. Armstrong (Houston)

Milestones:

Payload:

Gemini-V capsule

Mission Objective:

Evaluate rendezvous Guidance and Navigation system with REP. Demonstrate 8-day capability of spacecraft and crew. Evaluate effects on weightlessness for 8-day flight. Spacecraft weight: 3605kg.

Secondary objectives included: Demonstrate controlled reentry guidance. Evaluate fuel cell. Demonstrate all phases of guidance and control system operation needed for rendezvous. Evaluate capability of both crewmen to maneuver spacecraft to rendezvous. Checkout rendezvous radar. Execute 17 experiments.

Launch:

August 21, 1965; 8:59:59.518am EST. A launch attempt on August 19 was postponed due to weather conditions and problems with loading cryogenic fuel for the fuel cell.

Orbit:

Altitude: 349.8 km

Inclination: 32.61 degrees

Orbits: 120

Duration: 7 Days, 22 hours, 55 min, 14 seconds

Distance: km

Landing:

August 29, 1965. Landing was at 29deg44min North and 69deg 45min West. Miss distance was 170.3km (92nm). Navy divers from the backup recovery ship USS DuPont (DD-941) recovered the crew and transfered them via helicopter to the USS Lake Champlain (crew onboard in 89 min).

Mission Highlights:

During the mission, problems developed with the fuel cell that precluded rendezvous with the radar evaluation pod (REP). Primary rendezvous G&N system with REP objective was not achieved. REP rendezvous was not attempted due to a decision to power down fuel cells.

Secondary objective to demonstrate controlled reentry guidance was not achieved due to incorrect navigation coordinates transmitted to the spacecraft computer from the ground. This caused an 89mile overshoot of the landing zone. Experiment D-2, Nearby Object Photography was not conducted when REP rendezvous was canceled.

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