Gemini 3 (GT-3), launched on March 23, 1965, was the first crewed mission of the Gemini program, carrying astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom and John Young. The flight focused on testing the maneuverability of the new Gemini spacecraft. During the mission, the crew completed three low Earth orbits in their capsule, named "Molly Brown". Although Gemini 3 marked the first U.S. spaceflight with two astronauts, it followed the Soviet Union’s
Voskhod 1 mission, which had already carried a three-person crew into space in late 1964.
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| A GT-3 launch cover from "Orbit Covers" postmarked at Cape Canaveral on March 23, 1965, signed by Gus Grissom and John Young. - RegencyStamps |
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| Photo: John Young and Gus Grissom inspect the booster of the Gemini-Titan rocket. |
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| NASA announced the prime and backup crew of the first Gemini flight on April 13, 1964. |
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| Photo: Gemini 3 prime crew members Gus Grissom and John Young, alongside backup crew astronauts Walter Schirra and Thomas Stafford. |
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| Photo: Gemini 3 astronauts John Young and Gus Grissom reviewing weather charts the day before launch. |
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| A GT-3 launch cover from "Centennial" postmarked at Cape Canaveral on March 23, 1965. |
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| Photo: Gus Grissom having breakfast before his Gemini orbital mission. |
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| Photo: The Gemini 3 crew preparing for launch on March 23, 1965. |
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| Photo: Liftoff of the first crewed Gemini spaceflight on March 23, 1965. |
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| Photo: U.S. President Johnson observing the launch of the Gemini 3 spaceflight. |
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| A GT-3 tracking station cover from Corpus Christi, postmarked on March 23, 1965. During the first orbit over Corpus Christi, Texas, Grissom carried out the first orbital maneuver by a crewed spacecraft, achieving a nearly circular orbit of about 158 x 169 km. |
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| Photo: Technicians and scientists in mission control center monitoring the astronauts during their spaceflight. |
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| Photo: Images of Earth captured by John Young during the Gemini 3 mission. |
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| A GT-3 tracking station cover from Grand Turk Island, postmarked on March 23, 1965. |
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| Photo: The Gemini 3 capsule, Molly Brown, splashing down north of Grand Turk Island on March 23, 1965. |
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| Photo: "Molly Brown" being hoisted from the ocean onto the recovery ship USS Intrepid. |
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| A GT-3 recovery cover from the USS Intrepid, featuring a magenta “Morris Beck” rubber-stamped cachet and an extremely rare hand cancellation dated March 23, 1965. The cover is signed by Gus Grissom and John Young. - RRAuction |
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| A GT-3 recovery cover from the USS Intrepid, featuring a magenta “Morris Beck” rubber-stamped cachet and the typical machine cancellation dated March 23, 1965. It is signed by the commanding officer, Captain J. G. Smith. |
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| A GT-3 Crew Cover (Type B) from "Morris Beck" featuring a USS Intrepid machine cancel, dated March 23, 1965. Only 25 of these printed covers exist without the printed "B" number. |
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| Photo: Aboard the USS Intrepid, astronaut Virgil Grissom cuts a large piece of cake with a saber, entertaining Rear Admiral Donald M. White, commander of the recovery forces that retrieved the astronauts and their capsule after the Atlantic splashdown on March 23, 1965. |
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| A GT-3 Crew Cover (Type 2) on ship's stationery from the USS Intrepid featuring a red “Morris Beck” rubber-stamped cachet and postmarked on March 23, 1965. |
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| A GT-3 recovery cover featuring a printed illustration of a Gemini spacecraft, postmarked aboard the USS Intrepid on March 23, 1965. |
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| Photo: Gemini 3 astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young meeting U.S. President Johnson at the White House on March 26, 1965. |
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| Photo: On March 29, 1965, John Young and Gus Grissom were presented with United Nations “Peaceful Uses of Outer Space” stamps, signed by U.N. Secretary-General U Thant. |
(Reference from
Gemini 3)
