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ACCESSION NUMBER)
&
(CATEGORY)
P
.x
*
Add
res
by
Dr. George
E.
Mueller
.
Associate Administrator
for
Planned
Space
FlightNational
Aeronautics
and Space
Administration
,'
ntroduction
to
the
Gemini
Summary
ConferenceHouston,
Texas
GOOD
MORNIPL'G.THE
GEMINI
PROGRAIV!
IS
TOMORROW
YOU
WILL
BE
PRIVILEGED TO
HEAR
A
OVER. TODAY
AND
REPORT
SU&DI_P,RIZIPJGTHE
PROGRF33 BY
MANY
OF
THOSE TWO iM.Z-i.DE ITA
SUCCESS.
IT
GIVES
ME
GENUINE
PLEASURE
TO IPJTRODUCE
THIS
CONFE19ENCE
WITH
A
FEW
REf.PL2I~R.KS
OF
MY
OFU'N.
I
TWINY\
IT
SIGNIFICANT THAT
IN
EACK
CASE,
TIIE FRESEN-
'I'ATIOi\l
I.\IILL
BC
I4ADEBY
AN
ACTUAL PARTICIPANT
WHOSE
PRESEXCE
HERE PROVIUES
A CROSS
SECTION
OF
VWAT
I
XAVE
CALLED
THE
GEE.ITNI
TEA2.I.
AS
IS
TRUE:
IN
ANY
UNDERTAKING
OF
THIS
MAGNITUDE,
INVOL'JING
PIANY
DIVERSE
ORGANIZATIONS
AND
LITERALLY
TEOUSAMDS
OF
PEOPLE,
A VITAL ELEMENT
OF
GEMINI
'S
SUCCESS
MAY
BE
TRACED
TO
TEPJllTORK.
IN
THE
PUREST
DEFINITION
OF
TRE
V70RD,
KI-IEREIN
INDIVXDUAZ
INTERESTS
AXD OPINIONS
ARE
SUBORDINATE
TO
"THE
UNITY
AND
EFFICIENCY OF
THE GROUP, THE
GEMINI
TEAM ZAS
TRULY
EXCELLED
YOU
HAVE
HEARD
MUCH,
I
M4
SUFG3,
OF
GEMINI:
ACHIEVEL'IEMTS
AND
YOU
WILL
HEAR
THEM AGAIPJ
IN
GREATER
DEPTH
DURING
THIS
CONFERETGCE.
BY
WAY
OF
INTRODUCTION,
AND
TO
SET
THE
.STAGE
1.
 
FOR THOSE PAPERS THAT
WILL
FOLLOW,
7:
WOULD LIKE TO SPENDA FEW MOMENTS ASSESSING THE ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE CONTEXT
OF
THE GOALS OF THE NATIONAL MANNED SPACE FLIGHT PROGFW4.ONLY IN THIS WAY
IS
IT
POSSIBLE TO EVALUATE TEfE SIGNIFI-CANCE
OF
GEMINI ACCOMPLISHMENTS.THE GEMINI PROGRAPI WAS UNDERTAKEN FOR THE PURPOSE
OF
ADVANCING UNITED STATES MANNED SPACE FLIGHT CAPABILITIESDURING THE PERIOD BETWEEN MERCURY AND APOLLO.
SIMPLY
STATED, GEMINI
'
S
OEJECTIVES WERE
TO
CONDUCT THE DEVELOPMENTAND TEST PROGRAN NECESSARY
TO:
DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITYOFLONG DURATION SPACE PLIGHT
--
FOR AT LEAST THAT PERIODREQUIRED
TO
COMPLETE A LUNAR LANDING
MISSION;
PERFECT
TIiE
TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES FOR ACHIEVING RENDEZVOUS AXDDOCKING OF TWO SPACECRAFT
IN
ORBIT; ACHIEVE PRECISELYCONTROLLED REENTRY AND LANDING CAPABILITY; ESTABLISH CAPA-BILITY
IN
EXTRA-VEIIICULAR ACTIVITY; ACHIEVE THE LESS OBVIOUS,BUT NO
LESS
SIGNIFICANT, FLIGHT AND GROUND CREW PROFICIENCYIN iWNED SPACE FLIGHT. OUR VERY SUCCESSFUL FLIGET PROGRAMHAS PROVIDED VIVID DEMONSTRATION OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
I24
EACH
OF
THESE OBJECTIVE AREAS.
.-
THE
LONG DURATION FLIGHT OBJECTIVE OF GEMINI WASACHIEVED
WITH
THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETIONOFGEMINI VI1 IT?DECEMBER
1965.
FOLLOWING THE PROGRESSIVE BUILD-UP OF FLIGHTDURATION
--
FOUR DAYS
WITH
GEMINI IV, EIGHT
WITH
GEXINI V
2.
 
AND FOURTEEN
WITH
GEMINI VI1
---
WE HAVE REMOVED ALL DOUBTS,AND THERE
WERE
MANY, 0F.THE CAPABILITY OF OUR FLIGHT CREWSAND SPACECRAFT TO FUNCTION SATISFACTORILY FOR A PERIODEQUAL TO THAT NEEDED TO REACH THE LUNAR SURFACE
AED
RETURN.FURTHER, THIS ASPECT OF GEMINI PROVIDES HIGH CONFIDENCEIN FLIGHT CREW ABILITY TO PERFORM SATISFACTORILY ON MUCHLONGER MISSIONS. THE LONG DURATION FLIGHTS HAVE ALSO GIVEN
US
GREATER INSIGHT INTO AND APPRECIATION OF THE VITAL ROLEPLAYED BY THE ASTRONAUTS, THE VALUE OF FLEXIBILITY
IN
MISSIONPLANNING AND EXECUTION, AND THE EXCELLENT CAPABILITY OF OURMANNED SPACEFLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM.
AS
ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED, THE GEMINI PRGG-W.I CALLEDFOR COMPLETION
OF
THE LONG DURATIOfJ FLIGHTS
WITH
GEMINI VI1AND, AS YOU
KNOW,
THIS
WAS ACCOMPLISHED
ON
SCHEDULE.ONE OF OUR MORE DRAMATIC ACHIEVEMENTS HAS BEEN THESUCCESSFUL DEVELOPNENT OF
A
VARIETY OF TECENIQUES FOR
THE
IN-ORBIT RENDEZVOUS OF TWO MANNED SPACECRAFT. AS YOU
ARE
PERHAPS
AWARE,
THE
PREPARATION FOR
THIS
MOST COMPLEX FACETOF GEMINI MISSIONS
WAS
MORE TIME CONSUMING THAN ANY OTHER.THAT
IT
WAS
PERFORMED
WITH
SUCH PERFECTION
IS
A DISTINCTTRIBUTE TO THOSE
6?HO
MADE
IT
POSSIBLE
--
THE SPACECRAFTAND LAUNCH VEHICLE DEVELOPERS AND BUILDERS, THE CHECKOUTAND LAUNCH TEAMS, THE FLIGHT CREWS AND THEIR TRAININGSUPPORT,
THE
MISSIOfJ PLAKNING AND MISSION CONTROL PEOPLE
--
3.
of 00

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