GEMINI FLIES

Unmanned Flights and the First Manned Mission

with Foreword by Colin Burgess

Space Author

This is the first of the planned series of five titles covering the ten crewed Gemini missions. The series expands on the information published in Dave's earlier book on the Gemini programme.

• Provides details of a critical component of NASA's quest to put men on the Moon.

• Continues the Pioneers in Early Spaceflight series' mission-by-mission analysis of NASA's commitment to explore space in the early years.

• Illustrated with color images and line drawings taken from the archives.

In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to landing a man on the Moon before the end of the decade. With just a handful of years to pull it off, NASA authorized the Project Gemini space program, which gathered vital knowledge needed to achieve the nation's goal. This book introduces the crucial three-step test program employed by the Gemini system, covering: The short unmanned orbital flight of Gemini 1 that tested the compatibility of launch vehicle, spacecraft and ground systems; the unmanned suborbital flight of Gemini 2 to establish the integrity of the reentry system and protective heat shield; the three-orbit manned evaluation flight of Gemini 3, christened 'Molly Brown' by her crew. A mission recalled orbit by orbit, using mission transcripts, post-flight reports and the astronauts' own account of their historic journey.

The missions of Project Gemini were the pivotal stepping stone between Project Mercury and the Apollo Program. Following the success of its first two unmanned missions and the exploits of Gus Grissom and John Young on Gemini 3, NASA gained the confidence to plan an even bolder step on its next mission.

Related titles on the Gemini programme, by Dave Shayler.