Tag: Cape Kennedy Air Force Station
Quick Thinking Demonstrated Value of the Human Element

Quick Thinking Demonstrated Value of the Human Element

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In late 1966, the final Gemini mission was launched into the skies over Cape Kennedy Air Force Station. At Mission Control in Houston, Dr. Chris Kraft, NASA’s director of Flight Operations, turned to Dr. Robert Gilruth, director of the agency’s Manned Spacecraft Center, and said, “Thank God we never had to use those ejection seats.” But, if not for a test pilot’s quick thinking, two astronauts would have during an attempt to launch a Gemini mission a year earlier.
Pioneer 11 Provided the First Up-close View of Ringed Planet Saturn

Pioneer 11 Provided the First Up-close View of Ringed Planet Saturn

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The first spacecraft to approach the planet Saturn was launched 50 years ago on a 1.5 billion mile trip to Earth’s distant neighbor. During its 22-year mission, Pioneer 11 studied the asteroid belt, the solar wind, cosmic rays and the environment around the planets Jupiter and Saturn. The probe was part of the United States’ efforts leading the reconnaissance of each planet in the solar system.
Cape Canaveral or Cape Kennedy? Where is Kennedy Space Center?

Cape Canaveral or Cape Kennedy? Where is Kennedy Space Center?

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Before the middle of the 20th Century, Cape Canaveral was a little-known point of land on the East Coast of Florida. But, by the 1960s the Cape was the focal point for America’s efforts to explore and utilize space. A name change and establishment of a separate civilian space center resulted in continuing confusion.
Demanding Gemini XI Mission Flies on Top of the World

Demanding Gemini XI Mission Flies on Top of the World

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“I tell ya from up here the world is round. It is spectacular. It’s fantastic,” said Gemini XI command pilot Pete Conrad as he and pilot Dick Gordon looked down from their lofty vantage point. Their record-shattering altitude of 850 miles above the Earth was only one highlight of a demanding, three-day mission in September 1966 – 55 years ago.
Gemini X Sets Records for Rendezvous, Altitude Above Earth

Gemini X Sets Records for Rendezvous, Altitude Above Earth

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In mid-1966, Gemini X continued advancing NASA’s capabilities for operating in space with a record-setting, three-day flight. Two astronauts completed rendezvous with two separate targets, retrieved an experiment package from one and set a new altitude record for human flight. All the objectives were designed as stepping stones in preparation for the Apollo Moon landings to follow.
Gemini IX Crew Finds ‘Angry Alligator’ in Earth Orbit

Gemini IX Crew Finds ‘Angry Alligator’ in Earth Orbit

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NASA’s Gemini IX mission was another step in developing technology for future spaceflights from Apollo to the agency’s upcoming Artemis Program designed to return astronauts to the Moon followed by exploration of Mars. But, this 1966 mission included developing alternate plans when faced with the unexpected.
Gemini’s First Docking Turns to Wild Ride in Orbit

Gemini’s First Docking Turns to Wild Ride in Orbit

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In early 1966, Gemini VIII chalked up another crucial spaceflight technology milestone for the United States. But the triumph quickly became an in-flight emergency, testing NASA’s quick-thinking skills to bring the astronauts safely home — 55 years ago this month.
Gemini IV: What’s it Like to Walk in Space?

Gemini IV: What’s it Like to Walk in Space?

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Building on the success of the first piloted Gemini mission, NASA prepared to launch its most ambitions flight to date – Gemini IV. During June 1965, two astronauts would not only stay in orbit four days, one would attempt America’s first spacewalk. It was another example of advancing technology enabling new avenues of exploration.
Apollo 5 Certified the Lunar Module Safe for Astronauts

Apollo 5 Certified the Lunar Module Safe for Astronauts

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The year 1967 began with the tragic loss of the Apollo 1 crew, but ended with the successful launch of the first Saturn V rocket. NASA hoped to make it two successes in a row with the first unmanned flight of the lunar module, or LM, the spacecraft designed to land Americans on the Moon before the end of the decade.

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