Project Gemini was a series of manned missions conducted between NASA's Mercury and Apollo programs. Its primary objectives included testing critical concepts for the Apollo missions, such as spacecraft rendezvous and docking, spacewalks (extra-vehicular activities), precision re-entry, and extended human survival in space. The program set the foundation for future lunar missions. The first unmanned test flight of the Gemini spacecraft,
Gemini 1(GT-1), launched on April 8, 1964.
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| Photo: The Gemini spacecraft model being unveiled for the first time on March 29, 1962. |
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| A GT-1 launch cover from "Orbit Covers" postmarked on April 8, 1964. This cover is signed by Charles Mathews, the manager of the Gemini program. |
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| Photo: Charles W. Mathews, the Project Gemini manager, is pictured in his office at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas. A model of the two-man Gemini capsule and the Agena satellite rests on his desk, illustrating how they will appear after rendezvousing and docking in orbit. |
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| Photo: Gordon Cooper (second from left) and Neil Armstrong (right) inspecting the Gemini capsule before launch. |
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| A GT-1 launch cover from "SpaceCraft" postmarked at Cape Canaveral on April 8, 1964. |
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| Photo: The Gemini astronauts pose alongside a replica of the launch vehicle. |
