Gemini 12

Gemini XII
Buzz Aldrin performs an EVA during the Gemini XII mission, with the Agena Target Vehicle visible in the background
Mission type
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1966-104A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.2566
Mission duration3 days, 22 hours, 34 minutes, 31 seconds
Orbits completed59
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftGemini SC12
ManufacturerMcDonnell
Launch mass3,762 kilograms (8,294 lb)
Landing mass1,947 kilograms (4,293 lb)
Crew
Crew size2
Members
EVAs3
EVA duration5 hours, 30 minutes
Start of mission
Launch dateNovember 11, 1966, 20:46:33 (1966-11-11UTC20:46:33Z) UTC[1]
RocketTitan II GLV
Launch siteCape Kennedy LC-19
End of mission
Recovered byUSS Wasp
Landing dateNovember 15, 1966, 19:21:04 (1966-11-15UTC19:21:05Z) UTC
Landing site24°35′N 69°57′W / 24.583°N 69.950°W / 24.583; -69.950[1]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude251 kilometers (136 nmi)
Apogee altitude289 kilometers (156 nmi)
Inclination28.8 degrees
Period89.94 minutes
EpochNovember 14, 1966[2]
Docking with GATV-5001A
Docking dateNovember 12, 1966, 01:06:00 UTC
Undocking dateNovember 13, 1966, 20:18:00 UTC
Time docked1 day, 19 hours, 12 minutes

(L-R) Aldrin, Lovell 

Gemini 12 (officially Gemini XII)[3] was a 1966 crewed spaceflight in NASA's Project Gemini. It was the 10th and final crewed Gemini flight (Gemini 1 and Gemini 2 were uncrewed missions), the 18th crewed American spaceflight, and the 26th spaceflight of all time, including X-15 flights over 100 kilometers (54 nmi). Commanded by Gemini VII veteran James A. Lovell, the flight featured three periods of extravehicular activity (EVA) by rookie Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, lasting a total of 5 hours and 30 minutes. It also achieved the fifth rendezvous and fourth docking with an Agena target vehicle.

Gemini XII marked a successful conclusion of the Gemini program, achieving the last of its goals by successfully demonstrating that astronauts can effectively work outside of spacecraft. This was instrumental in paving the way for the Apollo program to achieve its goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s.

  1. ^ a b "Gemini XII" (PDF). Gemini Program Mission Report. NASA. 1967. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
  2. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "SATCAT". Jonathan's Space Pages. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  3. ^ Hacker, Barton C.; Grimwood, James M. (September 1974). "Chapter 11 Pillars of Confidence". On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini. NASA History Series. Vol. SP-4203. NASA. p. 239. Archived from the original on 2010-01-13. Retrieved 2013-09-26. With Gemini IV, NASA changed to Roman numerals for Gemini mission designations.

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