How NASA Learned to Fly in Space: An Exciting Account of the Gemini Missions: Apogee Books Space Series 46 [Paperback]

David M. Harland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004 | Series: Apogee Books Space Series

The social context in which NASA learned to fly in space, with an explicit mandate to reach the moon set against a tight deadline, is described in this historical analysis.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a fascinating account of the highs, the lows and the unusual events...that are part of all big projects in space..." -- Focus, January 2005. "A good book that reads well and explains difficult things clearly. David Harland is a very good writer who knows his subject." -- Spaceflight, April 2005. "...very well and competently done...a useful work for both aerospace engineering students and space historians. ...Highly recommended." -- Choice, March 2005. "This book is a must read for anyone interested in the space program and the history of manned space flight...Highly recommended" -- Choice, April 2005.

From the Author

For generations human beings stared at the Moon, dreaming of one day visiting it. Finally, with the orbiting of Sputnik in 1957, space travel began to look as if it would be feasible. In a remarkable speech in 1961, John F. Kennedy, the President of the United States of America, set his nation the goal of landing a man on the Moon before the decade was out. But how was this to be achieved? The barely started Mercury missions were opening the door to manned space craft, the new program would have to pass through that door into the true realm of piloted space flight. It was decided to introduce an interim program between Mercury and Apollo, called Gemini, to develop the operational techniques necessary for spaceflight. This would 'write the book', yield a wealth of technology, a pool of flight controllers and a cadre of experienced astronauts for the Apollo program. With 10 manned Gemini missions in 1965-1966, the pace ws hectic, but by the time it ws over, orbital rendezvous ws no longer the concern that it had been in 1962 when NASA had committed Apollo to renezvous in lunar orbit. So the foundation of Gemini's legacy was the security of knowing that Apollo was feasible. This book isn’t an official history, nor does it delve into the finances of the Program, nor does it trace the paper trail through the decision-making. It is the story of how NASA learned to fly in space. As it is a story of exciting times, I have drawn on the transcripts to recreate the sense of drama. Quotations have been edited for clarity, for brevity, and to eliminate the intermingling that is characteristic of spontaneous conversation. Nevertheless, I have preserved the sense of the moment. I have also attempted to explain orbital rendezvous in order to enable the reader to share in the astronauts’ delight when things went to plan and their frustration when – as happened all too often – they did not.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc. (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894959078
• ISBN-13: 978-1894959070
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,776,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid History of the Middle Child of Human Spaceflight, May 7, 2005

By 

Roger D. Launius "Historian" (Washington, D.C., United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How NASA Learned to Fly in Space: An Exciting Account of the Gemini Missions: Apogee Books Space Series 46 (Paperback)

The Gemini program is the middle child of human spaceflight; Mercury is the first and therefore well remembered and Apollo is the over-achieving younger sibling who gains fame and fortune. In the mix Gemini is often forgotten. David Harland's book helps to rescue the program from its obscurity. While it was initially conceived before Apollo got underway in 1961, after the commitment to the Moon landing Gemini morphed into a program to develop the skills necessary to reach the Moon. NASA closed most of the gap by experimenting and training on the ground, but some issues required experience in space. Three major areas immediately arose where this was the case. The first was the ability in space to locate, maneuver toward, and rendezvous and dock with another spacecraft. The second was closely related, the ability of astronauts to work outside a spacecraft. The third involved the collection of more sophisticated physiological data about the human response to extended spaceflight.

To gain experience in these areas before Apollo could be readied for flight, NASA devised Project Gemini. Hatched in the fall of 1961 by engineers at Robert Gilruth's Space Task Group in cooperation with McDonnell Aircraft Corp. technicians, builders of the Mercury spacecraft, Gemini started as a larger Mercury Mark II capsule but soon became a totally different proposition. It could accommodate two astronauts for extended flights of more than two weeks. It pioneered the use of fuel cells instead of batteries to power the ship, and incorporated a series of modifications to hardware. Its designers also toyed with the possibility of using a paraglider being developed at Langley Research Center for "dry" landings instead of a "splashdown" in water and recovery by the Navy. The whole system was to be powered by the newly developed Titan II launch vehicle, another modified ballistic missile developed for the Air Force. A central reason for this program was to perfect techniques for rendezvous and docking, so NASA appropriated from the military some Agena rocket upper stages and fitted them with docking adapters.

Problems with the Gemini program abounded from the start. The Titan II had longitudinal oscillations, called the pogo effect because it resembled the behavior of a child on a pogo stick. Overcoming this problem required engineering imagination and long hours of overtime to stabilize fuel flow and maintain vehicle control. The fuel cells leaked and had to be redesigned, and the Agena reconfiguration also suffered costly delays. NASA engineers never did get the paraglider to work properly, and eventually they dropped it from the program in favor of a parachute system like the one used for Mercury. All these difficulties shot an estimated $350 million program to over $1 billion. The overruns were successfully justified by the space agency, however, as necessities to meet the Apollo landing commitment.

By the end of 1963 most of the difficulties with Gemini had been resolved and the program was ready for flight. Following two unoccupied orbital test flights, the first operational mission took place on March 23, 1965. Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom commanded the mission, with John W. Young, a naval aviator chosen as an astronaut in 1962, accompanying him. The next mission, flown in June 1965, stayed aloft for four days, and astronaut Edward H. White II performed the first American extravehicular activity (EVA), or spacewalk. Eight more missions followed through November 1966. Despite problems great and small encountered on virtually all of them, the program achieved its goals. Additionally, as a technological learning program, Gemini had been a success, with 52 different experiments performed on the 10 missions. The bank of data acquired from Gemini helped bridge the gap between Mercury and what would be required to complete Apollo within the time constraints directed by the president.

This story is well-told in Harland's account. It is not an official history of the program, but concentrates on the story of the planning for and the execution of the 10 human Gemini missions. For the official history see "On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini" (NASA SP-4203, 1977), by Barton C. Hacker and James M. Grimwood. This is available on-line at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/cover.htm.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great book, October 18, 2004

By 

Spaceboss "importcdboss" (Chicago IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How NASA Learned to Fly in Space: An Exciting Account of the Gemini Missions: Apogee Books Space Series 46 (Paperback)

I love this book. It explains in an easy to read format just how important the Gemini program was in getting us to the moon. Gemini was described as a test pilots dream and this book shows why, with many stories I had not previously been aware of and I read lots of space books. I am very pleased to see Apogee Books branching out with books by exceptionally talented authors like Harland.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, September 27, 2004

By 

SLK - See all my reviews

This review is from: How NASA Learned to Fly in Space: An Exciting Account of the Gemini Missions: Apogee Books Space Series 46 (Paperback)

Just finished David Harland's account of Project Gemini, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Harland does a great job of explaining the nuts and bolts of this often overlooked program. His account of the intricacies of mastering both rendezvous and EVA demonstrate that without Gemini, Apollo just doesn't happen. Many great photos accompany the text, and it is too bad that Apogee decided against a CD with this book.