Tag: Merritt Preston

Demanding Gemini XI Mission Flies on Top of the World

Demanding Gemini XI Mission Flies on Top of the World

“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’s First Docking Turns to Wild Ride in Orbit

Gemini’s First Docking Turns to Wild Ride in Orbit

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.