Rescue helicopters reached McDivitt and White within seven minutes of landing. The two American astronauts were in excellent condition. They had made the first space walk. And they had proved that people could both live and work in space.
(MUSIC)
TONY RIGGS: The next Gemini launch was planned for just two months later. Gordon Cooper and Charles Conrad were to spend a record eight days in space.
Soon after the launch, Cooper and Conrad noted a problem that almost ended their flight early. They discovered a drop in pressure in the fuel cells that supplied electricity. These fuel cells powered the communications and computer systems. And they were very important to the environmental control systems in the spacecraft.
HARRY MONROE: Gemini's flight director decided to reduce the use of power on the spacecraft, instead of ending the flight early. Cooper and Conrad turned off the radar, radio, computer and even some environmental control systems. The spacecraft floated silently through space.
Suddenly the power began to increase. The astronauts turned the systems back on. By the third day in orbit, all was normal again.
Then another problem developed with the same fuel cells. The cells created electricity by mixing hydrogen with oxygen. The process also produced some water. But the fuel cells were producing too much water. Containers that held the water were filling up too fast.
NASA was worried that the extra water could destroy the power supply needed for the spacecraft's return to Earth. So, Cooper and Conrad again turned off most of the power in the spacecraft.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25