 Launch of Gemini 1 | |
| Mission type | Test flight |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1964-018A |
| SATCAT no. | 782 |
| Mission duration | 4 hours 50 minutes |
| Distance travelled | 1,733,541 miles (2,789,864 km) |
| Orbits completed | 63 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Gemini SC1 |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell |
| Launch mass | 7,026 pounds (3,187 kg) (11,400 pounds (5,170 kg) with 2nd stage) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | April 8, 1964, 16:01:01.69 UTC |
| Rocket | Titan II GLV, s/n 62-12556 |
| Launch site | Cape Kennedy LC-19 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Uncontrolled reentry |
| Decay date | April 12, 1964, 15:00:00 UTC |
| Landing site | Middle of South Atlantic Ocean |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 84 nautical miles (155 km) |
| Apogee altitude | 146 nautical miles (271 km) |
| Inclination | 32.5 degrees |
| Period | 88.76 minutes |
| Epoch | April 10, 1964[1] |
Gemini 1 was the first mission in NASA's Gemini program.[2] An uncrewed test flight of the Gemini spacecraft, its main objectives were to test the structural integrity of the new spacecraft and modified Titan II launch vehicle. It was also the first test of the new tracking and communication systems for the Gemini program and provided training for the ground support crews for the first crewed missions.[3]
Originally scheduled for launch in December 1963, difficulties in the development of both the spacecraft and its booster caused four months of delay. Gemini 1 was launched from Launch Complex 19 at Cape Kennedy (now Canaveral), Florida on April 8, 1964. The spacecraft stayed attached to the second stage of the rocket. The mission lasted for three orbits while test data were taken, but the spacecraft stayed in space for almost 64 orbits until its orbit decayed due to atmospheric drag. The spacecraft was not intended to be recovered, and holes were drilled through its heat shield to ensure it would not survive re-entry.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "SATCAT". Jonathan's Space Pages. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
- ^ "Gemini 1". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ^ "Gemini 1". Gunter's Space Page. December 11, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2012.