How Did Gemini 6A Survive a Launch Abort?
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- Over the course of the Apollo era, only one mission made an abort on the launch pad. It was Gemini 6A, and it was a close call. Gemini was the only Apollo-era spacecraft to use ejection seats instead of an escape tower, a method that promised a rough ride for the astronauts. And the Gemini 6A crew almost had to use them when their Titan rocket malfunctioned just one second after launch.
And if you want to watch the full Gemini 6A launch abort you can see CBS' coverage here: • As seen on TV Gemini...
For more on the Titan rockets and their Gemini launches, check out the latest article over on Vintage Space: www.popsci.com/why-titan-rocke...
Want even more Vintage Space? Subscribe to the blog, find me on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, and Twitter as @astVintageSpace. - Věda a technologie
Ami, I was a Gemini mechanical tech, and for that launch, I was one of five Martin Company emergency crew members who went out to safe the systems on that abort. When we arrived at the launch pad, I, as the mechanical rep, verified that the area was clear to raise the erector. However, we had two problems that had to be cleared up before we could raise the erector. One was two fires from the two engine sub-assembly fuel actuation valve overboard drain lines which when installed were too long and were hanging below the engine thrust chambers. When the engines ignited, the blast tore the drain lines away. The other problem was the real shut-down device. It really wasn't Mary-1 the so called (the tail plug), it was the Oxidizer Gas Generator. Somehow a plastic cap-plug got into the Gas Generator and restricted the flow of oxidizer through the pump discharge line which excited the Pressure Oxidizer Discharge sensor to send a signal for engine shut-down. Shirra and Stafford had to sit up there for almost 90 minutes until the area was safe.
Walter, I'm glad you're here. I had a question specific to this incident and you may be able to answer it more quickly than anyone. Did the launch clock start? As much as I like the story of the astronauts avoiding an ejection because of Wally Schirra's butt, I have a strong suspicion that the real reason they didn't eject is because the launch clock never started. That clock only starts once liftoff is achieved and, if it didn't in this instance, both astronauts would use that as a better indicator that they weren't falling back towards the pad after the engine shutdown.
Look on You tube, Schirra stated that the onboard clock HAD started. Apparently the umbilical disconnect is what starts the clock. Normally that would be right after liftoff, but in this case the umbilical plug was loose and fell out from engine vibration.
Walter Starkey why doesn't Amy reply to you?
Were right. Found this - Engineers spent all night combing through the first stage, but failed to find any cause for the thrust decay. Eventually however, one technician identified the problem, which was a plastic dust cover inside the gas generator that had been carelessly left inside when the booster was assembled months earlier at the Martin-Marietta plant, blocking the flow of oxidizer.
She doesn't really exist. Its a fembot.
John Young described the Gemini ejection seats as " possible death to escape certain death". He also witnessed an ejection seat test where the hatch didn't open first and the seat plowed right through it. His verdict? " One hell of a headache; but a short one!"
John Young is a funny guy....
RIP John Young
To this day ejection seats are exceedingly dangerous, and far from a guarantee of complete safety. I can understand why the astronauts, whose ranks included lots of former test pilots and military aviators, would be shy about using something that could kill them. Much better to wait until some other thing is certainly trying to kill you!
Good thing they wore helmets. :P
Could you imagine Young with Schirra on the same flight? Both were big jokers!
Wow Amy. Excellent. You have to be the only person of your generation that even knows what Gemini was. I'm impressed!
That's why those guys were chosen, they had the right stuff.
#Planet51
They should make a movie about it and call it The Right Stuff! ;)
...and THEN some.
No That Was The Mercury Program Astronauts
An ejection on the pad was always considered extremely dangerous, they likely would have suffered some serious injuries...not to mention destroying the spacecraft in the process. Amazing in retrospect that the Mercury and Apollo escape towers, nor the Gemini ejection seats were ever actually necessary. Another fascinating escape system incident (that I'm sure you're familiar with) is when they were testing the Apollo Launch Escape System on a Little Joe booster and the booster accidentally disintegrated. Before the command from the ground was given for the tower jet to ignite, the system sensed the booster breaking apart, triggering the system to rescue the test article command module. It all worked perfectly in an actual failure. Best case scenario!
The atmosphere in the Gemini capsule was 100% oxygen. This could have been bad.
+Ron samson It was 'bad', for Apollo 1.
There was lots of concern among the astronaut corps about the Gemini abort system. Yes, the 100% oxygen atmosphere soaking into their spacesuits for hours prior to launch would have made an interesting display when the rocket motors in the ejection seats ignited. Many thought it was akin to committing suicide to avoid being killed. There were serious questions as to whether the ejection seats, as designed, would have cleared the predicted hypergolic fireball expected in a vehicle failure on the pad. And what about aborting into the slipstream of a rocket going 4000 mph at an altitude not quite sufficient to provide adequate time to utilize the capsule as the abort vehicle? Yes...there were a lot of fingers crossed during Gemini.
Fast fact: there is only one time in the entire history of human spaceflight when a launch escape system fired and saved a crew. What would have become Soyuz T-10 ended in a pad abort when the launch vehicle caught fire before launch. The umbilicals to the spacecraft quickly burned through, and ground controllers could not send the abort command, even as they watched the rocket burning and dreaded the moment when the propellant tanks would explode. The crew on board did not have the ability to command a pad abort. So they used a telephone to call the ground tracking station downrange, and asked them to radio the abort command. The escape tower rocket ("SAS" in Russian lingo) fired, pulling the capsule and crew to safety, moments before the Soyuz rocket exploded. The crew experienced a peak load of somewhere between 14 and 17 Gs, but survived and went on to fly multiple missions afterwards.
Yep, Ho Lam Yiu! That snippet is from a six part series called "Moon Machines", which can be watched here on CZcams. It is probably the best documentary series ever made on the Apollo missions.
It is broken up into 6 parts:
- The Command Module
- The Saturn V
- The Lunar Module
- The Navigation Computer
- The Lunar Rover
- The Space Suit
All of them are extremely well done.
I was lucky enough to have seen all of this as it happened.That shutdown really shook me up.I had never seen that before and was wondering if maybe they set Gemini 6 back up too soon.Three days later I nervously watched the Gemini 6 launch as it continually rose higher and higher.What a relief when it finally was in orbit.Then I kept waiting for the rendezvous with Gemini 7 for nearly 6 hours and both flights were a complete success. "We did it" as one of the guys at the Hawaii tracking station said.
"It would have been a painful ride"
Better painful than dead.
Jeffery Liggett That depends, because the Gemini capsule is a mere 10 stories from the ground. The chances of a safe parachute deployment are very slim, and there is a good chance that if they ejected, they would have been horribly injured or even killed.
Jeffery Liggett I remember reading a story about John Young after watching a test of the Gemini ejection seats fail spectacularly. The seats drilled themselves into the hatches because the hatches failed to release. "A hell of a headache, but a short one." he said. The idea of the ejection seats were to risk possible death to escape certain death.
+Jeffery Liggett Yeah I know right.
+K1productions Actually, they were designed primarily for a pad-abort. They would send the pilot outward AND upward - to gain a bit of altitude for chute deployment.
That actually was the least of the problems with those seats.
Mark Pierce
Well, as far as I am aware, there isn't any visual record of Gemini's ejection seats tested. If there is though, I would love a link.
I was there. We had drove up from Patrick AFB in our Air Force pick up truck. We parked as close as posible, way too close. Anyway, we were perched on our truck when with a loud boom it shut down. At the time we thought it was exploding. We baled off the truck and was in the ditch beside the road faster thank you could blink your eye. After our heart rate came back to normal we could see VI was still there. Days Later, after they got it ready we went back out and saw it lift off so it went up to fly with Gemini VII.
When the program first began all the Astronauts were selected from well seasoned pilots or test pilots. They had the "instinct" to make a call like this one and ride it out. There are still people like that flying. One of the most recent managed to do the impossible and set an Airbus A320 down in the Hudson River with no loss of life.
I think 2009 is rather recent :(
To a 3 year old, 1 year is 33% of their life, while
to a 100 year old, 1 year is but 1% of their life
Geologically speaking, it is just the blink of an eye
surprising hes made it this far really
@John Doe and the A320 is from 1988.
you do a great job. I watched many of these launches when i was a very young kid. Used to build a Gemini 'capsule' in the basement with my friend and we went through many launches. Brings back a lot of memories. I dont' think a lot of kids these days really realize what happened with the early space program.
I just found your channel. It's my new favorite!! Thank you for doing these!
Goose pulled the D-ring and look what happened to him, good call guys.
riphaven Goose saved Maverick. Had he not pulled it then they'd both be dead.
i think at that moment goose wasn't thinking about saving maverick but maybe his own skin, and if he knew the out come im sure he would of wait a few more seconds to see if that had better results. RIP goose, your not forgotten:-(
Indeed. Goose was always one of my favorites.
Goose was innocent, if it wasn't for Goose, Maverick would have gone in too. Now Maverick will be back fighting with the drones. Topgun, Maverick (the movie)
I prefer to call him Gilbert...
I remember that as a kid (my Dad was a Radar Guidance Engineer with GE out at the cape)...the technicians and engineers were very impressed that Wally didn't screw the pooch....those early astronauts truly had the right stuff.
Did not know any of this. I learn a lot from these segments. I just remembered to subscribe, thanks!
I believe that actual reason for the shut down was that a dust cover was left in place and not removed as it should have been. The cable that shook loose is supposed to separate at launch which was why the mission clock started which would have called for Schirra to pull the abort ring.
I grew up in this time. Thanks for the info and memories.
WOW, I'd forgotten about that! Thanks for the reminder.
I do love how mission control said something like "Way to stay cool Wally" after the abort, as in glad you didn't eject.
Amy, you do a fantastic job especially for someone who wasn't around when it all happened.
Thanks for explaining the escape difference in the programs
As I have heard, Gemini VI A did get off the pad on the first launch attempt. It was calculated to have traveled about 5/8” upward. Now, this was not enough distance to separate the umbilicals or cause the ship to become unstable and fall over, but it can safely be said (l think) that it was certainly was one of the shortest manned space missions ever, in terms of distance traveled.
Fortunately, the rocket was found to be undamaged and flew three days later.
As a space cadet since 1967, this is the first I've ever heard of this abort. Thanks for the details.
As a kid and avid follower of Mercury,Gemini,and Apollo missions, I remember the tense moments following that abort. Your description is accurate, well done. Idea for future videos, the X-33 lifting body and aero spike rocket engine development.
My brother and I walked down to WBAP( they had color TVs there) whenever there was a launch - Gemini AND Mercury. I remember this one especially
As I remember it, Wally Schirra being his second flight told it like it was. He said I didn't pull it because I had a 1-3 chance of making it out alive. He ended up saving the mission as it was refueled on the pad and the problem fixed. Had he pulled that handle they would have to take the rocket back and replace the capsule and lost all that data needed. As the Gemini program proof tested all the concepts of earth orbit rendezvous.
"A rendezvous without docking, the first of its kind..." Is it possible that for the first and only time I've caught you in a small inaccuracy? Didn't Vostok 3 and 4 rendezvous in 1962? There, I got ya... NO WAIT! I'M WRONG! Nikolayev and Popovich only came within four miles of each other. Ah well, I'm happy to be mistaken and bow down to your quite exceptional knowledge and skills! Oh if only I'd met a young woman in my very long life who'd shared my passion and addiction to both the US and Soviet programs! Ah well, another time, another place as they say. Greetings from Thailand and by the way I just ordered your book, can't wait. Keep up the good work!
Vostoks 3 & 4 obtained their "rendezvous" though pre-launch positioning and not by in-flight maneuvering as Geminis 6 & 7 did,only no one knew that back then and the USSR got credit for achieving the first space rendezvous
@@dsny7333 When Wally Schirra heard that at a press conference after the Gemini 6 flight, it nearly sent him back into orbit. He laughed and said how much they had to do to achieve a real rendezvous at 3 miles apart. I believe they set the record straight and was given credit for the first rendezvous in space. Not even Vostoks 5 and 6 could do that in June of 1963 launched two days apart..
As you correctly stated, they did not rendezvous and dock.
Gemini 6 altered its orbit to rendezvous with Gemini 7.
By the way this is some very complicated physics. Guess who figured that physics out??? None other than the second man who walked on the moon--Buzz Aldrin!!! It was his doctorial dissertation at MIT!!!
A lot of people don't realize that to catch another space craft, you have to slow down i.e shed energy from the orbit, drop into a lower orbit, and that cuts the distance you have to make up considerably!!! Then you fire the rocket, add energy to the orbit and rise up under the space craft you are trying to catch.
It's like racing on an oval track. Two cars one on the inside apron and one one the outside wall. The car on the apron will catch up to the one on the outside because it has less distance to go!
Thanks for posting this, Amy. I was 'wondering' why the Gemini's DID NOT have "launch escape towers" installed. I had previously read about the ejection seats, but DID NOT realize those were the PRIMARY escape system on all the Gemini missions....
I've not seen your complete list, so you might have already covered this; how about a story on the first space walk and the difficulty of getting back into the capsule? Also, I'd love to see something on each of the Mercury flights, the objectives and experiments planned and how well each astronaut did against them.
Thanks for these great videos! I loved the Mercury and Gemini programs.
As a lifelong space buff who grew up in the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo era, I do feel the need to point out one small, but significant error. The flights of Gemini 7 & 6A occurred in December of 1965, NOT 1966 as stated in the narration.
That has been addressed in other comments
I think I read somewhere that Frank Borman always took his hand off the abort device, indicating he'd rather die than risk a false abort. I wouldn't be surprised if they all felt that way, so it didn't seem too unbelievable to me that they didn't abort.
Thanks for the great vids!
Hi Amy, I just discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago and i absolutely love it!! You asked for new program suggestions and I have one for you, I hope. I just watched a vid from NASA that showed a film shot in 1961 of the Escape Tower saving a Mercury capsule after a Mercury-Atlas 3 launch failure. I would be shocked if you haven't see it. Anyway, I got to thinking as I watched the film, I wonder how many Gs the astronauts would have sustained if they had ever really had to use the CET. In addition, I was wondering just who needed to initiate that abort system? I would assume that the crew could, and I would also assume that Mission Control could as well, but was there an autostart system for it? Also just how powerful was the engine that (atleast in the film), could pull the Mercury capsule higher and then away from the launch vehicle? When I toured KSC back 15 years ago, I thought I remembered seeing something there comparing the Escape Tower's engine to one of the early rocket engines and the info saying that it was more powerful than..... I can't remember!! :-( Perhaps a Redstone rocket?? or ?? Anyway, I would love to see a video about this topic (unless you already made one that I haven't found yet!!) Keep up your GREAT work, I love them!!!
Out of all the Apollo astronauts Jim lovell is my favourite
If you have Apollo 13 on DVD or blu-Ray I recommend you watch the DVD commentary with Jim and his wife it so good
All of those guys were the best of the best.
I know the Space Shuttle was not as "vintage" as Mercury, Gemini or Apollo, but there were were several (four?) launch pad aborts where the Space Shuttle Main Engines started and subsequently shutdown before the solid rocket motors were ignited.
Wally's coolness under pressure at that point really demonstrated the advantage of having man in the cockpit rather than everything being automatic. Can't replace a pilot's instincts and gut.
I know the history of this launch abort, I think your presentation is great because it adds perspective from a 20-something rather than decades old footage or lecture by some old guy. However, I didn't specifically know about the connector and potential of it becoming loose seconds after a liftoff. Shudder to think of a manned Gemini/Titan ending like first launch of Vanguard.
Also good mention about ejection seats. They will save your life but the ride will be painful (Schirra and Stafford could have ended up with bad backs preventing future spaceflights which both commanded notable Apollo missions).
I remember watching the abort where engines fire up then shutdown (my first impression is something is getting backed up like a clogged drain pipe and the whole thing is about to explode). Which this is why only ***certain*** people can become astronauts, those who are smart but not impulsive, have fast reactions but think things through. And most of all not freak out when things go bad.
A major concern of the Gemini abort was whether the Gemini doors would blow away at all, or in time to allow the ejection seats to pass unobstructed. John Young, who rode with Gus Grissom on Gemini 3, said of such a failure, "It would be a bad headache, but a quick one".
I watched the GT6A launch attempt as a kid in real time and held my breath when the engines shut down wondering if we were going to have a vanguard moment. I remember hearing ground ask Gemini seven, which was overhead at the time, if they had seen the attempted launch. They replied that yes, they had seen it lite up and seen it shut down. Oddly, I read in Borman‘s book years later that he had not seen Gemini six light up and shut down, and I’ve never been able to reconcile these two different versions of events. I have since read that had the rocket lifted off with that thrust decay. it would not have had enough thrust to reach orbit And would’ve probably reentered somewhere over West Africa in the atlas mountains. The main chutes are set to deploy at 10,000 feet, which would not have worked very well in the atlas mountains, which are 12,000 14,000 feet high.
The full video of the Gemini VIA aborted launch is available and quite impressive! I have also listened to an audio loop from launch control and it is just amazing at how calm everybody was, especially Wally Schirra. The space shuttle also experience a few of these close calls as well. I remember two or three times when the launch was aborted just after SSME ignition.
Andrew Pettola Ooh! You just reminded me that I should post that full video in the "about" bit so it's available. Thanks!
Amy Shira Teitel You're welcome. I love this channel. So glad I discovered it...by accident!
I was 6 years old, and I always thought I remembered a rocket just sitting there, and being confused about it. I'm glad 51 years later I see that memory is confirmed!
An event such as this did not occur again for nearly 20 years when shuttle Discovery's engines started up and then shut down on the pad in what was to be Discovery's maiden flight after that it happened a few more times in the shuttle era.
I can't remember if you have covered this but I recall one Apollo mission where I think Alan Bean remarked in an understated fashion that he was concerned about the vibration in the capsule as they both vibrated and shook hard. Am I remembering wrong or did any Apollo crew in their candid moments ever admit or say they came close to a launch abort due to perceived and actual vibration? Was the Pogo effect ever experienced on a launch of a manned Apollo? and what ever happened to those space birdies or whatever one Apollo crew saw out the command module near the Moon or in orbit ? Thanks for all the many and varied videos. Cheers.
The loose plug probably saved the flight. One of the engines in it's short 1 second burn showed an odd thrust build up issue. A dust cover had been left inside the engine and caused poor propellant flow. Had the rocket lifted off, the faltering engine would have ended the mission with an ejection.
Any pilot worth his salt is going to 'feel' everything his craft is doing.
Or in this case, feel something that didn't happen!
Rocket-pogo is a very bad thing.
i remember that mission all too well
Awesome as usual... NASA has begun to release lots of 'films' to the public recently. Old progress reports, fuel handling, missile maintenance. Its just getting better all the time for vintage space nuts like us! Thanks and keep up the great work!
good video. i was wondering about why the launch was aborted. saw the video when i was nerding in the library as usual (one of my suggestions because i watch a lot of nasa videos haha).. but i was too busy/lazy to google it but thankfully today youtube suggested this video and now i know. and to answer your question, i'd have probably panicked and ejected hahahaha. but i think it would have been a reasonable decision. launch failure usually results in explosions, especially if there is partial lift off. the astronauts (me) may not be able to tell if there was lift off or not so it might be a good idea to eject.
TLDR: thanks for the video haha.
Watched it on TV when I was twelve.
Definitely a "crossing fingers" moment.
As for "presence of mind" we are talking about test pilots.
I believe it still would have shut down on October 25th had the Agena successfully reached orbit.They found another problem as they were fixing the electrical plug.A cap covering something that should have been removed at the plant in Maryland would have shut down the engines when the computer detected it possibly after liftoff. That would have really been a dangerous situation.This made for a much more interesting flight. We did what the Russians did twice without planning it that way originally.We had two manned spacecraft in orbit at the same time only they came much closer than the Russians could.Three miles was as close as they could get and that was when they launched the second spacecraft as close as they could to the first one.It could not be maneuvered once it was launched and they drifted apart. Schirra saved the mission by not pulling that D ring.Those astronauts had nerves of steel as Neil Armstrong and David Scott showed on Gemini 8 after docking.
+Garland English Space Documentary Lost in Space, not to be confused with the tv series or the movie "Lost in Space."
Amy, Future episode suggestion. I know that Armstrong and Aldrin slept on the floor of the Eagle on the moon but were there hammocks on later LM's?
Yes, there were. I know that Apollo 14 had them.
I saw the lauch live on television. Believe me, Shirra and Stafford had cohones made of titanium. BTW, a comment on the Gemini eject system by one astronaut, after a test showed the seat going THROUGH the hatch instead of an open hatch:" It's a hell of a headache, but a hell of a short one..."
I was 18 when this happened and I remember Cronkite being confused for a few moments. Long silence. Then his astronaut sidekick said what had just happened and Walter picked it up from there. But he (and everyone else) was a deer in the headlights. Considering how many rockets had exploded on the launch pad over the years, all of our hearts stopped during that dead TV air, I tell you. Nice commentary but you didn't convey the momentary panic and drama enough.
although are names are spelled differently , they are pronounced exactly the same . so whenever I hear wally schirras name mentioned _____ ah it's pretty cool . thnx vintage space
Well Gemini 6a was sorta snafu. Oh and can you do something on the Black Arrow rockets????
Weren't there release mechanisms that would let the rocket lift off when full power was reached ? Maybe with explosive bolts? With indicator light? Seems to me this would be a better way to determine that launch has happened other than the seat of the pants way.
Hi Amy, I always love your shows!! I was just watching the 1966 CBS Gemini 6 Launch Abort video, w/ Walter Cronkite. This is maybe a weird question; when those engines fired then shut down, like 5 secs afterwards you hear a howl type of noise - almost sounds like a large dog (but it's not!). Have you heard it before, coming right from the launch pad? Is that an engine noise?
It was December 1965. Amy does a video explaining the Bwoooop sound. Look for it.
Great video. Thanks.
I don't know if you've covered it or not, but didn't the Apollo missions have a launch pad escape system that included a long cable from the launch tower to an underground bunker that the crew could somehow ride to safety, if they hadn't launched? I think I once saw pictures of the bunker, but it is rarely mentioned in most books. Do you have any info on that? How would they get to the cable?
I haven't heard of that. Maybe you're mixing it up with the Space Shuttle's pad abort?
+profwaggstaff That's correct - it's nicely demonstrated in the SBS documentary "From the Earth to the Moon" with Tom Hanks (who's a major space buff by the way).
Amy, I asked this question of another user below (who worked on this particular rocket) but I thought I would ask you (in case he doesn't know). Do you know if the Launch Clock started? It would only start if liftoff was achieved and would be a much better indicator of whether the astronauts were falling back towards that pad after the engine shutdown. As much as I like the story of avoiding ejection due to Schirra's butt, I have a feeling the Launch Clock may have played the biggest role here, since Schirra would have been staring directly at it at the moment of engine shutdown.
I have a question for future videos, since we started sending things out to space, how much damage if any has the ISS, satellites and deep space probes taken from space (or man made) debris?
Good thing he had the benefit of having prior launch experience. Had it not been for this he wouldn't have known what a positive vehicle launch 'felt' like and likely would have ejected.
I've always thought escape towers are a better idea than ejection seats. You can use the escape tower at almost any point during the ascent, even at high altitudes and speeds.
How long does it take after the launch abort to try again ?
Did the astronauts stay inside the Gemini after the launch abort?
Was the Ejection Seat System a 0/0 on the Gemini Capsule??? I don't think so because If the had ejected on the pad on the ground they would have been pushed out horizontally away and would the stacked rocket's hight and it would not be enough for parachutes to deploy?
Amy, not sure if you have covered the subject yet but didn't the Space Shuttle have ejection seats installed for the first couple of flights?
Flyn Bryan Indeed it did. Columbia carried ejection seats for the Commander and Pilot. They were deactivated after STS-4, and removed altogether either during the downtime Columbia had between STS-5 and STS-9, or between 9 and 61-C
Don't know if you did this in the past but I love the story of Apollo 12's launch. The lighting strike and throwing of some obscure switch to reset the system and avoid an abort. Would love to see a little more in depth on that.
John Jenkins I did! A while a go so it's pretty awkward, but it's still the story!
czcams.com/video/_9sC2Yu4w54/video.html
Thanks, and interesting to see the growth in the videos.
On a NASA produced video about the Gemini 6 & 7, it showed a bright yellow liquid pouring out of the top of the capsule when pulled out of the water. The capsule was being placed on a floating dock next to the rescue ship. Was this a dye design to make the capsule visible from the air?
Had the rocket gotten 1cm/any vertical movement off the ground, a whole different launch program becomes active and the auto shut off would not have kicked in ( because that as you said, that would be instant flop/topple death ) and they would have launched, probably just fine!
So, there is safety built into the sequencing steps
The ejection procedure had never been tested in a 100% oxygen environment like there was in the Gemini 6A capsule on the pad. Schirra later said if they had ejected, he and Stafford would have been two roman candles leaving the spacecraft, as they had been saturated with oxygen for hours by this point.
Great story
Just think, if the Agena for Gemini 6 had been successful, we would not have had the Gemini 6 and 7 rendezvous, and not have those beautiful photos and movies of the two craft looking at each other. We take them for granted now, but otherwise we would not know what a Gemini craft looks like in space.
Hi Amy, what about the April 25, 1961 unmanned test flight that was terminated by the RSO after 43.3 seconds due to failure of the launch vehicle? The Escape Tower pulled the Mercury capsule away and it parachuted safely down.
USWaterRockets Are you referring to the unmanned MA-3 flight? The roll program failed to start and the range safety office did shut it down, which sent the spacecraft flying and it was recovered. I think there's something to be said for the development of the first generation abort system!
Amy Shira Teitel And let's not forget the (also-unmanned) Mercury-Redstone 1, which had the exact same malfunction that Gemini 6A had--NASA had deliberately deactivated the launch abort system, so when the onboard computer sensed engine shutdown, it jettisoned the escape tower and deployed the parachutes, inspiring Alan Shepard to sarcastically say "Gee, the only thing we launched today was the escape tower."
I don't know if Wally Shirra had been a test pilot, but if he had been, it wouldn't have surprised me at all
Those boys had a VERY well calibrated " Seat of the pants" gauge !!!
I've never launched on a rocket before so I can't answer your question if I would have the presence of mind to feel if there was liftoff or not. But I would think that one could tell if you had liftoff. Very interesting.
Wow I love your hair Amy! Your very beautiful!
I'm pretty sure that had they ejected as the vehicle fell back to the pad they wouldn't have been able to clear the fireball of a loaded launch vehicle explosion. The first few space shuttle flights also had ejection seats and it was later determined that had the seats ever been used the astronauts would've been killed by the plume of the SRBs. Ejections seats just don't provide enough protection in launch vehicle accidents. At least a capsule gives you a fighting chance to avoid being barbecued.
It should also be noted that it was unfeasible to put ejection seats on the middeck where most of the astronauts sat during launch, so it was decided to deactivate them once there were actually more than just the crew in the cockpit since being whisked away to safety while your comrades are left to die would be rather shitty.
I remember the day that happened. The news guy said that an employee working on the rocket forgot to take a pipe cap off something before he left work. Yeah. Even then, at eight years old, I found the explanation hard to swallow.
Bye the way, the Gemini/Titan launches were, for me, the best looking of all the launches that NASA has ever made. It was like watching a perfect marble column rising into the sky on two pillars of fire.
"The news guy said...". First reason to distrust (Not in the 'fake news' way, but because they rarely understand or research real reasons. I always suspend belief until I can verify with official sources)
Would they really have had any chance of being clear of the rocket exhaust if they had ejected after ignitiion? I honestly can't even guess either way. The steam at the bottom of the rockets does seem to cover a big area.
I came late to your channel, I wish I had known about it years ago. Outstanding. BUT I finish every one wishing for more detail, for the full story. I think you should revisit these short ones and flesh them out a bit. And talk slower please. :)
Met Wally Schirra in 1997. I mentioned that I was a 9-year-old boy watching that aborted launch in my, pajamas and that I believed he truly was a man with steel b*lls and ice water in his veins. He gave his characteristic wide grin and unrestrained laugh. Truly a Great Guy!
Wow!
Technical notes, if a closer to the ground or in atmospheric bailout would have had to be made, the propellant or explosive charge beneath the astronauts ejection seat would have had to throw the astronaut well clear of the spacecraft quickly.You do not want to be strapped to a chair as the rocket booster below you passes by venting very hot exhaust gases all over you, possibly cooking your body.
When the shutdown happened, Stafford’s heart rate went way up, I think it was in the 120’s, but Schirra’s was in 80’s. The flight surgeon was so concerned over Schirra’s low heart rate, he almost got grounded.
Watch "Proud Conquest" on CZcams. It covers Gemini 6-7 in a vintage NASA Documentary. During the first launch sequence look at the man they are zooming in on. It was my proud DAD. Our last name "WIDICK" is easily read on his headband. Worked his entire career with NASA Mercury through the Shuttle. 1957-1995. Known as Fritz Widick he always talked about how amazing this mission became.
How fast did for example a Saturn V travel in atmosphere during ascent?
Actually, Gemini 6 isn't the only launch to be called off with crew on-board--Gemini 9 had the same type of an Atlas/Agena failure, and also had a scrub the day the "MacGyver"-ed second docking target was launched!
Did the Titan have an automatic LES firing system like the Saturn V had?
Excellent narrative. It's uncertain that folks today understand how iffy -- how dangerous -- the US space program was. I was fortunate to be a kid in the 1960s and follow our unfolding space program, watching all of the launches on TV (black-and-white). Consider, for example, getting into your Honda CRV to go to work today, and knowing that just a few model editions ago, Honda CRVs had exploded when drivers turned the ignition keys.
I do belive that astronauts from that time period had a sort of sixth sense about how things should feel at launch. I would like to think that it was both training and a very focused feel for things.
Actually, it was 3.2 seconds, not a split second, and one of the Titan's engines was already failing before the cables came undone - even if they had remained attached, the thrust decay would have triggered an automatic shutdown anyway within a second or so, and it still would have aborted before the launch clamps came undone at 3.2 seconds.
Ok, interesting side question. Calling it Gemini 6A would imply there was a 6B. Was that a planned mission that was cancelled, or was the Agena target vehicle the 6B part of it?
Curious, how many G's on a capsule ejection?
It's a great video, but I noticed one correction. Gemini 6A occurred in 1965, not 1966.
We miss you! Great story G6, Actually, the first G6 🚀🍻🌵
Launch escape tower was used in Soyuz mission.
An interesting observation (and maybe I was aware of this decades ago and had just forgotten), but it seems like that on the earlier launches such as this one, the countdown reaches zero BEFORE or WHEN ignition occurs, while on (I believe both) the Saturn and the Shuttle launches countdown (to launch) reaches zero AFTER ignition occurs. I know that this is to ensure full thrust before the holddowns are blown, but when did the change occur?
After watching some CZcams videos (the best source of vintage information on the internet ;-) ), I believe that I have an answer. I am sure that both the Redstone and Atlas vehicles ignited before zero (I don't see any holddowns on the Redstone, but they are quite obvious on the Atlas). So what is the difference between all the other vehicles and the Titan? I believe it is because the fuel is hypergolic. There is no need to build pressure, the fuel ignites upon contact.
FWIW it appears (from the one video I watched) that the Vanguard ignites (like 2 seconds) AFTER the countdown reaches zero. But this was so early in the exploration of space that maybe procedures were not very standardized...?
That demonstrates how Cool under pressure those early Astronauts were because the rest of us would have pulled the ring. LOL
I likely would have pulled the eject lever, but then I am not a highly skilled and super cool test pilot. I can't say what I would have done if I had their level of training.
Schirra's steely nerve became the stuff of the legends. If it were me, my copilot probably would have pulled the D ring soon afterwards because of the smell of shit inside the cabin.
I like I am saying it right is how it was called on the radio
Just ordered your book 'Breaking the Chains of Gravity'.
James Bowen Thanks! I'll be posting more about it soon, too, to (hopefully) get you and everyone excited!