| |
|
| Mission Insignia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mission Statistics | |
| Mission: | Gemini 3 |
| Callsign: | Molly Brown |
| Launch: | March 23, 1965 14:24:00.064 UTC Cape Canaveral LC19 |
| Landing: | March 23, 1965 19:16:31 UTC 22° 26' N 70° 51' W |
| Duration: | 4 hours 52 min, 31 seconds |
| Orbits: | 3 |
| Distance Traveled: | 128,748 kilometres |
Crew
The crew for the mission were Virgil Grissom and John Young. Grissom had flown once before on the second sub-orbital Mercury flight.
This time, Grissom decided to use the callsign 'Molly Brown', after the musical 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown'.
Objectives
This first manned flight of the Gemini spacecraft was very much a test flight. The mission objective was to test all systems and ensure they functioned properly. Many other firsts were achieved on Gemini 3. Two people flew aboard an American spacecraft, and an orbital change was completed. This also marked the first manned re-entry where the spacecraft was able to produce lift to change its touchdown point.
Flight
The only major incident during the orbital phase involved a contraband corned beef sandwich that Young had snuck on board. The crew each took a few bites before the sandwich had to be restowed. The crumbs it released could have wreaked havoc with the craft's electronics, so the crew were reprimanded when they returned to Earth. Other crews were warned not to pull the same type of stunt again.
The crew made their first orbit change a hour and a half into the flight. The burn lasted 75 seconds and moved them from a 122 by 175 kilometer orbit to a nearly circular one with a drop in speed of 15 metres per second. The second burn was 45 minutes later when the orbital inclination was changed by one-fiftieth of a degree. The last burn came during the third orbit when the perigee was lowered to 72 kilometres. This meant that even if retrorockets had failed, they would still have reentered. When reentry finally occured, crew commented that even the colours matched ground simulations.
On descent, the capsule shifted from a vertical to horizontal position under its parachutes. The change was so sudden that Grissom cracked his faceplate on the control panel in front of him.
The craft landed eventually 84-kilometers short of its intended splashdown point. Wind-tunnel testing incorrectly predicted the craft's ability to compensate for course deviation. When the crew discovered the error, they decided to stay in the capsule, not wanting to open the hatch before the arrival of the recovery ship. The crew spent an uncomfortable half an hour in a spacecraft never designed to be a boat.
Insignia
The mission insignia was not a true one like that from Gemini 5 onwards. It was a logo designed and minted as a coin. The crew carried a number of them into space to give to their families and friends.Capsule Location
The capsule is on display at the Grissom Memorial, Spring Mill State Park, Mitchell, Indiana.External links
Previous Mission:
Manned: Mercury 9
Unmanned: Gemini 2Gemini
Next Mission:
Gemini 4