Appendix 1: Gemini 3 Sequence of Events
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Appendix 1: Gemini 3 Sequence of Events Adapted from the Gemini 3 post-flight Mission Report – MSC-G-R-65-2 dated April 1965. Times may vary slightly to those quoted in the official air-to-ground commentary due to more in-depth post-flight analysis. EST Mar Elapsed time* 23, 1965 (hrs:min) Event 04:40 Crew awoken by Slayton 05:15 Breakfast started 06:02 Crew arrive at Pad 16 for suiting up 06:45 Sensors in place on chests of astronauts Suiting completed 07:05 Leave Pad 16 for Pad 19 (400 yards) 07:09 Ascend Pad 19 elevator to level 11 07:12 Crew enter Gemini 3 07:34 Hatches closed Ascent phase 09.24 00:00 Lift-Off 00:02:33.09 BECO Stage I separation 00:05:33.75 SECO 00:05:59.02 Spacecraft separation from launch vehicle 00:06 Separation maneuver from GLV and insertion Start insertion checklist 06:11:32 Separation maneuver ended using OAMS aft-firing thrusters added 10.6 ft./sec to spacecraft velocity. Entered orbit of 87.0 nautical miles perigee, 121.0 nautical miles apogee. First orbit 00:10 Completed insertion checklist (except for main battery check) Started platform alignment (used caging technique) 00:12 Completed platform alignment 00:13 First voice report of yaw drift problem 00:15 Plot-board un-stowed Switch to UHF no. 2 © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 301 D. J. Shayler, Gemini Flies!, Springer Praxis Books, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68142-9 302 Appendix 1: Gemini 3 Sequence of Events EST Mar Elapsed time* 23, 1965 (hrs:min) Event 00:16 Switched the radiator to FLOW 00:18 Blood pressure (pilot) Returned the radiator switch to BYPASS 00:20 Recovered GET time mark to set elapse time watch Activated sea urchin egg experiment 00:21 Control mode check complete 00:24 Noted loss of primary dc-to-dc converter and switched to secondary 00:30 Pilot removed and stowed launch day urine bag 00:44 Radiator switched to FLOW 00:47 Respirator maneuver (command pilot) 00:48 Completion of oral temperature (pilot) 00:50 Started human blood irradiation experiment 00:51 Received GO from ground control for second orbit Received 2-1 DCS pre-retro command load Received re-entry quantities and pre-retro update quantities by voice 00:52 Checked Tr update on time mark from ground 00:55 Switched the secondary coolant loop OFF and the evaporator to NORMAL 00:59 Started the RCS plume evaluation 01:03 Main battery checked 01:06 Closed both faceplates for ECS check 1 01:07 Started the catch-up mode check 01:10 Deactivated the human blood irradiation experiment 01:12 Completed the catch-up mode check 01:14 Activated O2 High Rate using manual handle (attempt to lower primary O2 pressure) 01:15 Started platform alignment Activated sea urchin egg experiment Re-cocked O2 High Rate 01:24 Recovered DCS maneuver update for translation no. 2 01:33 Started translation no. 1 using forward-firing thrusters (small end forward) to lower apogee to 93 nautical miles 01:34 Completed translation no. 1 (duration of translation controlled in time, ∆t = 75 sec) 49ft/sec resulted in perigee of 85.6 nautical miles and apogee of 91.2 nautical miles 01:35 Initiated manually-controlled dump of delayed-time tape recorder data 01:37 Recovered 3-1 DCS pre-retro command load 01:40 Received update time for horizon scanner check Blood pressure (pilot) 01:41 Tape dump complete 01:46 Start of platform alignment and caging check (command pilot) Start of food and waste evaluation (pilot) 01:49 Command pilot attempted to obtain a blood pressure reading 01:54 Completed platform alignment and caging check. Spacecraft yaw 180° in preparation for horizon scanner check 01:58 Onboard report that 8-ball and horizon did not agree. (First indication of platform orbit rate problem) Appendix 1: Gemini 3 Sequence of Events 303 EST Mar Elapsed time* 23, 1965 (hrs:min) Event Second orbit 02:06 Horizon scanner check started 02:16 Report of 8-ball and horizon disagreement 02:16:59 Three small out-of-plane maneuvers performed with spacecraft over the Indian Ocean 02:17 Translation system check 02:17:25 Maneuvers completed ∆V was approx. 10ft/sec towards North 02:24 Start of platform alignment 02:30 Horizon scan control mode characteristics check deleted (command pilot evaluating platform problem and assisting with the food and waste evaluation) 02:35 Continued with platform alignment (stars used for attitude reference) 02:41 Start of O2 High Rate check 02:43 Main batteries ON 02:45 Manual ECS O2 heaters - ON 02:46 O2 High Rate rechecked Manual ECS O2 heaters - OFF 02:52 Gauge correlation report started 02:55 Platform SEF mode checked and reported operating correctly Third orbit 02:58 Gauge correlation report completed 03:02 Start of tracking task – tracked Mexicali, Mexico 03:02 Coolant pump checks completed 03:06 Standby telemetry transmitter used to transmit real-time telemetry data 03:11 Checked platform orbit rate mode 03:13 Cabin fan switched ON 03:15 Cabin fan switched OFF 03:19 Started platform stabilization check 03:24 Completed platform stabilization check and started control mode characteristics check 03:24 Completed control mode characteristics check 03:51 Activated sea urchin egg experiment 03:56 Pre-retro checklist complete 03:59 Started even-time counting down to retro-fire 04:00 Switched computer to catch-up 04:12 Main battery check 04:21:45 Started OAMS retro translation (96 ft./sec) 04:23 Completed OAMS retro translation. 111-second duration resulted in 98.4 ft./sec 04:25 Computer switched to re-entry mode Entry phase 04:29 Tr –5 min checklist complete 04:32 Rr –1 min checklist complete 04:32:28 Equipment section separated 04:33:23 Auto retrofire – sequence 1, 3, 2, 4 04:33 Manual retrofire pushed 04:34:08.6 Retro section jettison (The spacecraft attitude at this time was approximately 0° roll, –16° pitch, 180° yaw) 304 Appendix 1: Gemini 3 Sequence of Events EST Mar Elapsed time* 23, 1965 (hrs:min) Event Unknown Spacecraft rolled to 180° (0° bank) 04:37:36 400,000 ft. calculated by computer (no spacecraft action) 04:39:26 Spacecraft rolled to a 45° bank (45° roll left) 04:39:59 Spacecraft entered blackout 04:40:26 Grissom began the range needle control technique of re-entry 04:41 Downrange and cross-range errors displayed by the computer 04:41 Re-entry communications experiment started 04:43:51 Cross-range FDI indication nulled, spacecraft rolled to a 0° bank (180° roll, full lift) 04:45 End of blackout 04:46 Re-entry communications experiment completed Recovery phase 04:46:51 Drogue parachute deployed manually 04:47 Drogue parachute deployed 04:48 Main parachute deployed 04:48:24 Pilot parachute deployed 04:48:24 Drogue parachute deployed 04:49 Post main checklist 04:52:31 Landing *Time to nearest minute Gemini 3 Major Post-flight Activities March 23 Gemini launch viewed by Vice President Hubert Humphrey at the Cape USS Intrepid served as prime recovery vessel for crew and spacecraft Preliminary post-flight medicals completed on Intrepid Telephone call from President Johnson Debriefing commenced Gemini 3 Molly Brown retrieved Astronauts inspected spacecraft 24 Debriefing sessions continued Addressed Intrepid’s crew 25 Left Intrepid for Cape Kennedy, Florida Completed 4 hours of medical tests Re-united with family members Parade at Cocoa Beach Post-flight press conference, Carriage Motel, Cocoa Beach, Florida 26 Flew to Washington D.C. Met President Johnson at the White House Parade down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol Visited Smithsonian Institute Attended Congressional reception Astronauts and their families flew back to the Cape for weekend Gemini 3 Molly Brown arrived back at Cape 27-28 Families spend a private and quiet weekend at the Cape Appendix 1: Gemini 3 Sequence of Events 305 29 Astronauts and families flew to Newark, New Jersey, then on to a tickertape parade down Fifth Avenue and celebrations in New York City, New York Visited United Nations Guests of Honor New York City Reception 30 Astronauts and wives flew to Chicago, Illinois Tickertape parade and celebrations Official luncheon and formal reception Q&A with local students 31 Returned to Houston, Texas. Civic reception Parade April 1 Short ceremony at NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Clear Lake, Houston, Texas. Flag raising ceremony 24 1st ‘John Young Day’, in home town of Orlando, Florida Parade and reception May 3 John Young receives USN Astronaut Wings at the Pentagon, Washington D.C. 30 Gus Grissom home town reception and parade, Mitchell, Indiana Appendix 2: Gemini Boiler Plate and Test Articles Under their contract with NASA, in addition to supplying 12 flight vehicles and seven target docking adapters, McDonnell were also responsible for the construction of a total of six boilerplate spacecraft, four (completed) static test articles, a number of static adapters and a variety of other test vehicles to support the test and evaluation phase of the Gemini design prior to the operational flights. Generally, the three Gemini missions, Gemini 1 (unmanned, orbital, formally 3-orbits), Gemini 2 (unmanned, suborbital) and Gemini 3 (manned, 3-orbits) can be categorized as test-flights, but there was also a series of ground-based tests to supplement the various sys- tem, sub-system and procedure tests, simulations and evaluations, which were completed using a variety of test vehicles. The majority of the structural and dynamic tests were com- pleted between July 1963 and April 1965 using static test articles number 3 and number 4.