I've seen a Gemini capsule in a museum before and it always made me wonder how they were able to live in such a small area. For example, how was it possible for both of them to even don their space suits? And where were they stored while not being used? Also, where was two weeks worth of food kept (and the resulting waste)?
I've seen a Gemini capsule in a museum before and it always made me wonder how they were able to live in such a small area. For example, how was it possible for both of them to even don their space suits? And where were they stored while not being used? Also, where was two weeks worth of food kept (and the resulting waste)?Mercury was of course smaller but that astronaut didn't have to do much while there. I also know the Gemini suits were flexible but it's the lack of volume in the cabin that is so lacking.
Quote from: kschachn on 04/01/2009 06:52 pmI've seen a Gemini capsule in a museum before and it always made me wonder how they were able to live in such a small area. For example, how was it possible for both of them to even don their space suits? And where were they stored while not being used? Also, where was two weeks worth of food kept (and the resulting waste)?Mercury was of course smaller but that astronaut didn't have to do much while there. I also know the Gemini suits were flexible but it's the lack of volume in the cabin that is so lacking.I have often wondered that myself. The impression I've always had regarding the capsule's size was that you pretty much just sat there; there was no getting up and floating to another place in the interior. We know that there was room to remove and get into a space suit, as Borman and Lovell did it on the 2-week long duration mission. I believe that only one was allowed to be out of his suit at any point in time, so each must have removed and then put it back on at least once. However, it would be my guess that if there is anyone still out there that was in a position to be able to answer such a question, you're going to get something back like, "it was tight, but they did it."
Wow, Jim, what an amazing amount of detail. I certainly didn't expect to see this. What source did you pull this from?
Quote from: MarsMethanogen on 04/01/2009 07:28 pmWow, Jim, what an amazing amount of detail. I certainly didn't expect to see this. What source did you pull this from?He got it from NASA CR-1106, Project Gemini A Technical Summary.
Is that document available on the web, perhaps in .PDF format?
Quote from: MarsMethanogen on 04/02/2009 07:05 pmIs that document available on the web, perhaps in .PDF format?Haven't tried downloading it, it's 20 meg:http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680016105_1968016105.pdf
We know that there was room to remove and get into a space suit, as Borman and Lovell did it on the 2-week long duration mission. I believe that only one was allowed to be out of his suit at any point in time, so each must have removed and then put it back on at least once. However, it would be my guess that if there is anyone still out there that was in a position to be able to answer such a question, you're going to get something back like, "it was tight, but they did it."
Quote from: MarsMethanogen on 04/01/2009 07:11 pmWe know that there was room to remove and get into a space suit, as Borman and Lovell did it on the 2-week long duration mission. I believe that only one was allowed to be out of his suit at any point in time, so each must have removed and then put it back on at least once. However, it would be my guess that if there is anyone still out there that was in a position to be able to answer such a question, you're going to get something back like, "it was tight, but they did it."From one account I read, it sounded like getting in or out of the suit, however flexible it may have been, took several hours to accomplish.Wikipedia says Lovell got out first, then was ordered to re-suit while Borman had his chance to cool down 148 hours into the mission. Then mission control decided to let them both out.There's probably a better account somewhere.I gained a lot of new respect for Lovell and Borman while I was staring at the Gemini capsule in the Astronaut Hall of Fame. I have a lot of trouble sitting still for 5 hours on an airline flight.
Both Borman and Lovell continue, after all these years, to refer to Gemini 7 as the longest 14 days of their lives. In listening to them spin yarns together, you get the impression that they regard that period the way we humans remember tragic events... something to get through but NEVER want to experience again.
Quote from: JMS on 04/02/2009 05:10 pmBoth Borman and Lovell continue, after all these years, to refer to Gemini 7 as the longest 14 days of their lives. In listening to them spin yarns together, you get the impression that they regard that period the way we humans remember tragic events... something to get through but NEVER want to experience again.I suspect that hardest part of the flight would have been boredom; after all, they could not have had a lot to do. Today you could solve the problem by giving them each a lap top with internet access, video games, and movies. There are probably some video game addicts out there that would be disappointed that the flight was over so quickly.
Flight schedules were pretty crowded with experiments, housekeeping, etc..., etc... Boredom probably wasn't an issue.
Yes, the working volume in a Gemini was very small, which is one of the reasons why the astronauts from that era tended to be short guys. (The height limit for Gemini was six foot, no inches, and the guys who were that tall had some real problems fitting into the Gemini. Just ask Gene Cernan, who was in so much pain after he squeezed back into his seat after his EVA that he really thought he might break a bone if Stafford couldn't repress immediately and let him move a little bit.)However, in microgravity, you don't have a lot in the way of stress points on your body when you're just floating along above the seat, so you don't get as tired from sitting in one position all the time as you would in a G-field. (As Al Bean once said, as an "expert commentator" for one of the TV networks during Apollo 14, when asked if Shepard and Mitchell were flying by the seat of their pants, "Well, uh, you know -- your seat ain't really touching anything." )The *only* Gemini mission during which the crew removed their pressure suits was indeed Gemini 7, and that was only possible because they wore extremely lightweight suits, good only for handling temporary pressure loss within the cabin. They were totally unsuited for EVA, so neither Lovell nor Borman could have "taken a walk."As for boredom, over the course of the two weeks there were enough issues with fuel cells and maneuvering jets that the crew spent a lot of time in tumbling flight, without a whole lot to do beyond taking regular medical readings. It *did* get boring and uncomfortable, according to the crew. Much moreso than on the later, shorter rendezvous/EVA flights. Lovell had to literally keep talking Borman out of ending the mission early for the last two days of the flight.-the other Doug