Gemini — The Stepping Stone
Now that I've had a few weeks with it, let me explain what I understand about Project Gemini and why it matters.
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Dallas
I am not going to write very much tonight. The President is dead.
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Voskhod — Three People, No Spacesuits
The Soviets launched three people into space today in a capsule designed for one, with no spacesuits. That's either a brilliant demonstration or a reckless stunt.
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Eating on the Moon
I've been reading about the food systems for space missions. The early Mercury food was toothpaste-tube paste and cube-sized bites. It's improving, but slowly.
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Preparing for Gemini — The Next Step
Mercury is finished. Gordon Cooper's fourteen orbits in May were the last Mercury flight. Now the program prepares for Gemini, which is more complex in every way.
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A Soviet Woman in Space
The Soviets did it again — put someone in space before we could. This time it was a woman: Valentina Tereshkova.
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Gordon Cooper Goes Last
Gordon Cooper became the last American to fly in Mercury today, spending more than 34 hours in space — longer than all previous American missions combined.
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What Weightlessness Actually Feels Like
How do you train for weightlessness on Earth? The answer is parabolic flight — an aircraft that flies a specific arc to create about 30 seconds of free fall. They call it the Vomit Comet.
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The Men in the White Rooms
There are men I never hear about who suit up the astronauts on the launch pad. The closeout crew. Their job is to strap three people into a spacecraft and walk away.
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The Space Race and the Arms Race
The Cuban Missile Crisis is over and we survived it. I've been thinking about the connection between the rockets going to the Moon and the ones pointed at us.
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