1Rendezvous and Recovery section - the rendezvous radar, the drogue, pilot and main parachutes. Jettisoned after re-entry.2Re-entry Control System section - the small thrusters that steered the capsule through re-entry.3Crew and equipment section - the pressurized cabin. Command pilot on the left, pilot on the right.4Retrograde section - four solid rockets fired in sequence to bring the spacecraft out of orbit.5Equipment section - fuel cells, maneuvering propellant and the cooling radiators. Left in orbit at retrofire.6Titan II launch vehicle - about 90 feet without the spacecraft, 109 on the pad, 10 feet across, 430,000 pounds of thrust on hypergolic propellants that light on contact.

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Source: NASA Project Gemini Familiarization Manual, SEDR 300 Vol. II, McDonnell, 1 July 1966.

1Crew hatch - one per man, hinged outward. The right hatch is the one Ed White stood up through on Gemini IV.2Command pilot's instrument panel - attitude, altitude and the eight-ball flight director, on the left side.3Center panel - the shared panel between the seats, including the computer keyboard.4Attitude control handle - the stick that fired the thrusters, between the seats where either pilot could reach it.5Ejection seats - Gemini had no escape tower. Below 70,000 feet the way out was straight up through the hatch.6Secondary oxygen control handle - the backup supply, one per seat.

Tap the drawing to enlarge

Source: NASA Project Gemini Familiarization Manual, SEDR 300 Vol. II, McDonnell, 1 July 1966.

1Command pilot's main panel - flight director attitude indicator, altimeter, rate of descent and the event timer.2Center console upper assembly - the Manual Data Insertion Unit: a keyboard and readout for the onboard computer, the first flown in space.3Pilot's main panel - navigation and rendezvous displays, including the radar range and range-rate meters.4Left switch and circuit breaker panel - electrical control for the command pilot's side.5Attitude hand controller - pitch, roll and yaw in one grip, with maneuver thrusters on a second controller.6Abort control - the handle that fired the ejection seats on the pad or triggered a high-altitude abort.

Tap the drawing to enlarge

Source: NASA Project Gemini Familiarization Manual, SEDR 300 Vol. II, McDonnell, 1 July 1966.

Gemini 1 and 2 flew uncrewed. Gemini 6 was renamed 6A after its Agena target was lost on launch.

1Target vehicle - the Agena upper stage, launched separately and waiting in orbit.2Docking cone - the funnel on the Agena that guided the nose in and absorbed the contact.3Indexing bar - lined up with a notch in the cone so the two vehicles docked at the right roll angle.4Mooring latches and latch hooks - three of them, caught by the Gemini nose and then pulled tight to rigidize.5Rendezvous and Recovery section - the Gemini nose, with the radar inside and the parachutes behind it.6Docking light - mounted on the capsule so the crew could see the cone in the dark.

Tap the drawing to enlarge

Source: NASA Project Gemini Familiarization Manual, SEDR 300 Vol. II, McDonnell, 1 July 1966.

1Ascent shroud - meant to split and fall away after launch. On GT-9A it stayed on, held by lanyards that had been taped down.2Docking cone - identical to the Agena's, so a Gemini could dock the same way.3Equipment section - batteries, radio, radar transponder, and the attitude thrusters.4Running lights - six of them, so the crew could find the target at night.5Reaction Control System module - kept the ATDA pointed steady while Gemini approached.6Launch configuration - the ATDA rode an Atlas, the same booster that carried Mercury.

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Source: NASA Project Gemini Familiarization Manual, SEDR 300 Vol. II, McDonnell, 1 July 1966.

B. Test requirements - Gemini IV, 3 June 1965

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1. SUIT INTEGRITY CHECKBoth crewmen pressurize suits and verify no leaks before the cabin is dumped.

   Gemini had no airlock - the whole cabin went to vacuum.
2. DON CHEST PACKVentilation Control Module strapped to the chest feeds oxygen from the spacecraft.

   White breathed ship air through a 25-foot umbilical, not a backpack.
3. CONNECT UMBILICAL25-ft gold-plated tether and oxygen line attached and routed clear of the hatch.
4. CABIN DEPRESSCabin pressure vented to zero; hatch latch verified.

   The latch stuck. McDivitt had to work it open by hand.
5. OPEN HATCH / EGRESSPilot stands in the seat and rises through the hatch over the Pacific, near Hawaii.

   GET 04:30 - White becomes the first American outside a spacecraft.
6. HAND-HELD MANEUVERING UNITFire the zip gun to move; three bursts of oxygen and it was empty.

   White then pulled himself around on the tether.
7. RETURN TO HATCHCAPCOM calls: "Get back in." White: "It is the saddest moment of my life."

   About 20 minutes outside - plan said 12.
8. INGRESS / HATCH CLOSEBoth crewmen fight the hatch closed; cabin repressurized.

   The latch fought them again on the way shut. The planned re-opening to throw out the EVA gear was cancelled; the hatch stayed closed for the rest of the flight.

1ELSS chest pack - the Extravehicular Life Support System. Oxygen, cooling and the warning lights, strapped to the chest.2Hand-Held Maneuvering Unit - the zip gun. Short bursts of gas to move; it ran dry fast.325-foot umbilical - oxygen hose, electrical line and tether in one bundle back to the cabin.4Visor - a gold-coated sun visor over the pressure helmet; the sun outside is unfiltered.5Gemini spacecraft - hatch open, the pilot's seat empty, the command pilot still strapped in.

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Source: NASA Project Gemini Familiarization Manual, SEDR 300 Vol. II, McDonnell, 1 July 1966.

Negative. No matching term in this edition.