Gemini 3 (1965)

It's been a while since we looked at anything real-world and factual so lets start here and see where it leads us.

Gemini 3 was the first manned mission in NASA's Gemini program, the second of America's manned space programs.

On March 23, 1965, the spacecraft, nicknamed Molly Brown, performed the seventh manned US spaceflight, and the 17th manned spaceflight overall (including X-15 flights over 100 kilometres).

The crew of Gemini 3 were Virgil I 'Gus' Grissom and John W Young. Their primary goal was to test the new, manoeuvrable Gemini spacecraft and during the mission they fired thrusters to change the shape of their orbit, shift their orbital plane slightly and drop to a lower altitude

This is the Gemini G3C spacesuit as worn by both Grissom and Young on that mission alone before being replaced by the G4C - more of which later.

 

Steve