Astronauts Grissom and Young Kickoff the Gemini Program – 60 Years Ago Today

Posted by Guy Pirro 03/23/2025 03:29PM

Gemini III (GT-3 or Gemini Titan 3) was the first US capsule launched with two astronauts onboard. The Gemini Program was conceived as an intermediate step between the one manned Mercury and three manned Apollo Programs. The program was developed to determine astronauts’ reaction to long duration flights, to develop the rendezvous and docking methods that would later be used in the Apollo Program, and to establish and perfect landing and reentry techniques. (Image Credit: NASA)

Astronauts Grissom and Young Kickoff the Gemini Program – 60 Years Ago Today

Sixty years ago today, on March 23, 1965, a Titan 2 rocket launched into space NASA astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom and John Young inside their Gemini III capsule, kicking off the first two-manned, Earth-orbiting spaceflight of the Gemini Program. Gemini III (GT-3 or Gemini Titan 3) was the first US capsule launched with two astronauts onboard. The Gemini Program was conceived as an intermediate step between the one-manned Mercury and three-manned Apollo Programs. The program was developed to determine astronauts’ reaction to long duration flights, to develop the rendezvous and docking methods that would later be used in the Apollo Program, and to establish and perfect landing and reentry techniques. Gemini III successfully tested the new upgraded Manned Space Flight Network, which expanded on the capabilities of the original Mercury Space Flight Network. Gemini III also tested new UHF and C-band antennas during the black out of communications. Computers were becoming a more prominent part of the flight control network and began to streamline the data acquisition process. This relieved the need for multiple staff members to stand next to the many systems that were needed to analyze the incoming flight data.

Gus Grissom had piloted the second Mercury flight “Liberty Bell 7” on July 21, 1961 and would later be named to serve as command pilot for the Apollo 1 mission, the first 3-man Apollo flight. Tragically, Grissom and fellow crew members Ed White and Roger Chaffee perished in a flash fire inside the Apollo capsule during ground testing on January 27, 1967.

Gemini 3 was launched from Complex 19 at Cape Canaveral, Florida at 9:24 AM EST and inserted 5 minutes 54 seconds later into an 87 x 121 nautical mile orbit with a period of 88.3 minutes. At the end of the first orbit Grissom made the first orbital maneuver, which lowered the orbit to a near-circular orbit. On the second orbit Grissom altered the spacecraft inclination by 0.02 degrees. Near the end of the third orbit, at 4:21:23 ground elapsed time, the perigee was lowered slightly to allow the orbit to decay naturally in case of retrorocket failure. Reentry began at the end of the third orbit and was manually controlled with retrofire.

Splashdown occurred in the Atlantic in the vicinity of Grand Turk Island. Due to less-than-expected spacecraft lift during reentry, the spacecraft landed 69 miles short of the target point. Both astronauts became seasick, removed their suits, and left the spacecraft at about 3:00 PM EST. They were picked up by helicopter and taken to the recovery ship USS Intrepid, where they were found to be in good condition. The Gemini capsule was recovered later at 5:03 PM EST.

The Gemini program was designed as a bridge between the Mercury and Apollo programs, primarily to test equipment and mission procedures in Earth orbit and to train astronauts and ground crews for future Apollo missions. The general objectives of the program included: long duration flights in excess of of the requirements of a lunar landing mission; rendezvous and docking of two vehicles in Earth orbit; the development of operational proficiency of both flight and ground crews; the conduct of experiments in space; extravehicular operations; active control of reentry flight path to achieve a precise landing point; and onboard orbital navigation. Over the next two years, each Gemini mission carried two astronauts into Earth orbit for periods ranging from 5 hours to 14 days. The program consisted of 10 crewed launches, 2 uncrewed launches, and 7 target vehicles, at a total cost of approximately 1.28 billion dollars.

Gemini III achieved another first that is not prominently mentioned in the record books -- The first corned beef sandwich to orbit Earth was smuggled aboard the spacecraft. As contraband unapproved for flight by NASA, pilot John Young had hidden the sandwich in a pocket of his spacesuit shortly before the launch. Around two hours into the almost five-hour long flight, he offered some to Gus Grissom, who accepted the rye bread and corned beef delight. Needless to say, this became a serious matter that drew the ire of NASA administrators and Congress after the crew returned home. Congress was particularly upset and even brought the matter to NASA leadership’s attention at hearings about NASA’s 1966 budget.

(It should be noted that St. Patrick’s Day was just a few days earlier. Was this just a coincidence? Was this sandwich left over from an unauthorized St. Patty’s Day celebration? Congress never found out and we’ll never know).

For more information:

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/march-1965-gemini-iii-launched/

https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1965-024A

https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/ames/contraband-corned-beef-and-the-early-days-of-space-biology-the-gemini-iii-mission/

https://www.nasa.gov/history/fallout-from-the-unauthorized-gemini-iii-space-sandwich/

https://www.astromart.com/news/show/55-years-ago-tragedy-on-the-launch-pad

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