Gemini 12
Gemini 12 (officially Gemini XII) 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.
Buzz Aldrin performs an EVA during the Gemini XII mission, with the Agena Target Vehicle visible in the background | |
| Mission type |
|
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1966-104A |
| SATCAT no. | 2566 |
| Mission duration | 3 days, 22 hours, 34 minutes, 31 seconds |
| Orbits completed | 59 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Gemini SC12 |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell |
| Launch mass | 3,762 kilograms (8,294 lb) |
| Landing mass | 1,947 kilograms (4,293 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 2 |
| Members | |
| EVAs | 3 |
| EVA duration | 5 hours, 30 minutes |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | November 11, 1966, 20:46:33 UTC |
| Rocket | Titan II GLV |
| Launch site | Cape Kennedy LC-19 |
| End of mission | |
| Recovered by | USS Wasp |
| Landing date | November 15, 1966, 19:21:04 UTC |
| Landing site | 24°35′N 69°57′W |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 251 kilometers (136 nmi) |
| Apogee altitude | 289 kilometers (156 nmi) |
| Inclination | 28.8 degrees |
| Period | 89.94 minutes |
| Epoch | November 14, 1966 |
| Docking with GATV-5001A | |
| Docking date | November 12, 1966, 01:06:00 UTC |
| Undocking date | November 13, 1966, 20:18:00 UTC |
| Time docked | 1 day, 19 hours, 12 minutes |
|
(L-R) Aldrin, Lovell Project Gemini | |
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.