Editing Gemini 7

{{Short description|1965 NASA crewed spaceflight}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name                  = Gemini VII
| image                 = Gemini 6 7.jpg
| image_caption         = Gemini 7 as seen by [[Gemini 6A]]
| insignia              = Gemini VII patch.png

| mission_type          = Endurance test
| operator              = [[NASA]] 
| COSPAR_ID             = 1965-100A 
| SATCAT                = 1812 
| mission_duration      = 13&nbsp;days, 18&nbsp;hours, 35&nbsp;minutes, 1&nbsp;second
| distance_travelled    = {{convert|4876000|nmi|km|order=flip|sp=us|abbr=off}}{{Citation needed|date=September 2014}}
| orbits_completed      = 206

| spacecraft            = [[Gemini (spacecraft)|Gemini]] SC7
| manufacturer          = [[McDonnell Aircraft|McDonnell]]
| launch_mass           = {{convert|8,076|lb}}<ref name="titans1">{{cite book
 | last = Hacker
 | first = Barton C.
 | last2 = Grimwood
 | first2 = James M.
 | title = On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini
 | chapter = Chapter 12 Spirit of 76
 | chapter-url = https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/ch12-1.htm
 | publisher = NASA
 | series = NASA History Series
 | volume = SP-4203
 | date = September 1974
 | page = 239
 | url = http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm
 | access-date = 2013-09-26
 | archive-date = 2010-01-13
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100113132344/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref><ref name="nasa1">{{cite web|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1965-100A|title=Gemini 7, NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 1965-100A|access-date=May 28, 2017|publisher=NASA}}</ref>
| landing_mass          = {{convert|4317.14|lb}}<ref name=report/>

| launch_date           = {{start-date|December 4, 1965, 19:30:03|timezone=yes}}&nbsp;UTC 
| launch_rocket         = {{nowrap|[[Titan II GLV]],}} {{nowrap|s/n 62-12562}}
| launch_site           = [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Kennedy]] [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 19|LC-19]]

| landing_date          = {{end-date|December 18, 1965, 14:05:04|timezone=yes}}&nbsp;UTC
| landing_site          = {{coord|25|25.1|N|70|6.7|W|type:event|name=Gemini 7 splashdown}}
| recovery_by           = {{USS|Wasp|CV-18|6}}

| orbit_epoch           = December 9, 1965<ref name=satcat>{{cite web|last=McDowell|first=Jonathan|title=SATCAT|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt|publisher=Jonathan's Space Pages|access-date=March 23, 2014}}</ref> 
| orbit_reference       = [[Geocentric orbit|Geocentric]]
| orbit_regime          = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis       = {{convert|299|km|nmi|sp=us|abbr=off}}
| orbit_apoapsis        = {{convert|302|km|nmi|sp=us|abbr=off}}
| orbit_inclination     = 28.87&nbsp;degrees<ref name=report>{{cite web|title=Gemini 7 Mission Report (PDF) January 1966|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/apollo/Documents/Gemini7MissionReport.pdf|publisher=NASA|access-date=May 28, 2017}}</ref> 
[http://www.ibiblio.org/apollo/Documents/Gemini7MissionReport.pdf Gemini 7 Mission Report (PDF) January 1966]
| orbit_period          = 90.54&nbsp;minutes
| apsis                 = gee

| crew_size             = 2
| crew_members          = {{Unbulleted list|[[Frank Borman|Frank F. Borman II]]|[[Jim Lovell|James A. Lovell Jr.]]}}
| crew_photo            = Gemini 7 Crew (Lovell und Borman).jpg
| crew_photo_caption    = (L-R) Lovell, Borman

| previous_mission      = [[Gemini 5]]
| next_mission          = [[Gemini 6A]]
| programme             = [[Project Gemini]]
}}

'''Gemini 7''' (officially '''Gemini VII''')<ref name="titans">{{cite book
 | last = Hacker
 | first = Barton C.
 | last2 = Grimwood
 | first2 = James M.
 | title = On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini
 | chapter = Chapter 11 Pillars of Confidence
 | chapter-url = http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/ch11-1.htm
 | publisher = NASA
 | series = NASA History Series
 | volume = SP-4203
 | date = September 1974
 | page = 239
 | url = http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm
 | access-date = 2013-09-26
 | archive-date = 2010-01-13
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100113132344/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm
 | url-status = dead
 }} With Gemini IV, NASA changed to Roman numerals for Gemini mission designations.</ref> was a 1965 crewed spaceflight in [[NASA]]'s [[Gemini program]]. It was the fourth crewed [[Project Gemini|Gemini]] flight, the twelfth crewed American spaceflight, and the twentieth crewed spaceflight including Soviet flights and [[North American X-15|X-15]] flights above the [[Kármán line]]. The crew of [[Frank Borman]] and [[Jim Lovell]] spent nearly 14 days in space, making a total of 206 orbits. Their spacecraft was the passive target for the first crewed [[space rendezvous]] performed by the crew of [[Gemini 6A]].

==Crew==
{{Spaceflight crew
|terminology       = Astronaut
|position1         = Command Pilot
|crew1_up          = [[Frank Borman|Frank F. Borman II]]
|flights1_up       = First
|position2         = Pilot
|crew2_up          = [[Jim Lovell|James A. Lovell Jr.]]
|flights2_up       = First
}}

===Backup crew===
{{Spaceflight crew
|terminology       = Astronaut
|position1         = Command Pilot
|crew1_up          = [[Ed White (astronaut)|Edward H. White II]]<ref name=astronautix>{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/g/gemini7.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227204826/http://astronautix.com/g/gemini7.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 27, 2016|title=Gemini 7|publisher=Astronautix|access-date=March 3, 2018}}</ref>
|position2         = Pilot
|crew2_up          = [[Michael Collins (astronaut)|Michael Collins]]<ref name=astronautix />
}}

===Support crew===
* [[Charles Bassett]] (Houston CAPCOM)
* [[Alan Bean]] (Cape CAPCOM)
* [[Eugene Cernan]] (Houston CAPCOM)
* [[Elliot See]] (Houston CAPCOM)

==Mission parameters==
* launch '''[[Mass]]:''' {{convert|3663|kg}}, landing mass: {{convert|1958|kg}}<ref name=report/>

At December 9 [[epoch (astronomy)|epoch]], five days after launch:
* '''[[Perigee]]:''' {{convert|299|km|nmi|sp=us}}
* '''[[Apogee]]:''' {{convert|302|km|nmi|sp=us}}
* '''[[Inclination]]:''' 28.9°
* '''[[Orbital period|Period]]:''' 90.54 min

===Stationkeeping with GT-6A===
* '''Start:''' December 15, 1965 19:33 UTC
* '''End:''' December 16, 1965 00:52   UTC
* '''Duration:''' 5 hours, 19 minutes

==Objectives==
[[File:Lovell pre-launch gemini 7.jpg|thumb|right|Lovell before the launch, in the special [[Gemini space suit#G5C suits|G5C space suit]], which had a zippered hood with a visor instead of a solid helmet.]]
Gemini 7 was originally intended to fly after [[Gemini 6]], but the original Gemini 6 mission was cancelled after the failure during launch of the [[Agena Target Vehicle]] with which it was meant to rendezvous and [[docking and berthing of spacecraft|dock]]. The objective of rendezvous was so important, that it was decided to fly the alternate Gemini 6A mission concurrently with Gemini 7, using the latter as the rendezvous target.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1965-100A |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>

This 14-day mission required NASA to solve some of the problems of long-duration space flight, such as stowage of waste (the crew had practiced stuffing waste paper behind their seats before the flight). Timing their workday to match that of the prime shift ground crews, both men worked and slept at the same time. Gemini 7 conducted twenty experiments, the most of any Gemini mission, including studies of nutrition in space. The astronauts also evaluated a lightweight spacesuit, the [[Gemini space suit#G5C suits|G5C]], which proved uncomfortable when worn for a long time in the Gemini spacecraft's hot, cramped quarters. The high point of the mission came on the eleventh day with the rendezvous with Gemini 6A.<ref name=":0" />

Both astronauts, heeding the advice of [[Pete Conrad]] who had flown for eight days on [[Gemini 5]], took books along to read.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dee |first=Kaye |date=2020-08-30 |title=[August 30, 1965] 8 Days or Bust! (Gemini 5's epic space mission) |url=http://galacticjourney.org/august-30-1965-8-days-or-bust-gemini-5s-epic-space-mission/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Galactic Journey |language=en-US}}</ref> Gemini 7 held the record for the longest space flight until [[Soyuz 9]] in June 1970, and was the longest crewed space flight in U.S. history until the [[Skylab 2]] mission of May and June 1973.

==Flight==
{{more citations needed|section|date=December 2019}}
[[File:S65-61650.jpg|thumb|left|Gemini 7 heads into space]]
Launch went without any problems and all systems on the Titan II performed nominally. Some slight [[Pogo oscillation|pogo vibrations]] were detected starting at T+110 seconds into launch, but unlike with Gemini 5 where the astronauts experienced momentary vision and speech problems, Borman reported only feeling a very light shaking sensation and Lovell nothing. After separating from the spent rocket stage, they turned the spacecraft around and proceeded to [[Orbital stationkeeping|station keep]] with the rocket stage, a maneuver first tried on [[Gemini 4]]. The Gemini 4 attempt was unsuccessful, due to the limited knowledge at the time of the complex orbital mechanics involved. Gemini 7 flew in formation with its upper stage for fifteen minutes, at which time Borman stopped because he felt too much fuel was being consumed, and the stage was moving erratically as it vented its own remaining fuel.<ref name="titans1"/>

They spent the rest of their first day in space doing some experiments and eating their first meal. Their sleep periods were scheduled at the same time unlike previous missions and they were able to get some sleep. The next morning they were awoken at 9:06 am [[Time zone#UTC-5 (EST - Eastern Standard Time)|EST]] and given the morning's news, which included the [[1965 Carmel mid-air collision|collision of two airliners over New York]]. For the first time during a flight, one of the crew was allowed to take off his suit. Borman and Lovell had planned to both take them off two days into the mission, when they were satisfied that the environmental system was working properly. The NASA managers did not like this idea, and said that at least one crew member had to be wearing a suit at all times. Borman wore his suit and sweated profusely, but agreed to let Lovell stay out of his suit, as Lovell was the larger of the two, and it required a lot of effort to get in and out of a suit in little more space than the front seat of a car.

[[Image:Pacific Ocean seen from Gemini 7.jpg|thumb|Moon and clouds over the [[Pacific Ocean|Western Pacific]] as seen from Gemini 7]]

Later, the flight controllers ordered Lovell to don his suit, and Borman to get out of his. This was because the doctors wanted to see the effects of being suited and unsuited on the astronauts. At 148 hours into the flight, Borman got his chance to cool down. Finally, the NASA managers decided that there was little benefit in having the crew members suited, and so relented after a couple of days. Going suitless greatly improved the astronauts' comfort and mobility inside the cramped spacecraft.

The lessons learned from Gemini 5 allowed Lovell and Borman to have improved personal hygiene during their mission. They showered with an anti-dandruff shampoo for two weeks prior to the flight to curb the problems their predecessors had experienced with skin flakes accumulating inside the spacecraft and removal of the pressure suits in-flight also helped keep their skin more moist and less prone to drying out. They were also supplied with sanitation wipes which proved highly beneficial in keeping clean. Odors were not a problem except when they opened the storage bins where waste was stowed.

In their postflight debriefing, Borman and Lovell noted that the food rations had been generally of good quality, but they strongly disliked the freeze-dried protein bites and advised against them being included on future missions. They also suggested that more breakfast items would have been nice, to avoid including bite-sized food that could easily produce crumbs that get loose in the cabin, and improving the packaging of some items. Because of the lengthy mission, Gemini 7 had a significantly larger supply of food than previous flights, and the astronauts often found it difficult to remove the tightly packed food containers, some of which had also not been stowed in the correct order for the day of the flight they were intended to be eaten.

As part of the in-flight medical experiments, the crew were required to collect and save some of their bodily wastes for post-flight analysis, a task they described as less-than-enjoyable. The urine collection device proved particularly difficult and unpleasant to use, especially because of its habit of leaking urine, which happened several times during the flight. Borman suggested afterwards that a tube and valve mechanism be added to the spacecraft to simply release urine into space, an idea that would be realized on the [[Apollo command module]].

The crew also strongly objected to the requirement that they record every use of drinking water and argued instead that they could simply use the meter on the water hose to gauge the amount consumed.

After five days, they had performed four orbital adjustment burns that put them in a circular {{convert|162|nmi|km|adj=on}} orbit. This orbit would last for at least 100 days without [[Orbital decay|decay]]ing, more than stable enough for the passive target during a [[space rendezvous]].

On their 31st orbit, Gemini 7 observed the underwater launch and exhaust trail of a [[Polaris missile]] from the submarine {{USS|Benjamin Franklin|SSBN-640|6}} off Florida.

===Rendezvous===
[[File:S65-63197.jpg|thumb|Gemini 7 as seen by Gemini 6A, December 1965]]
[[Gemini 6A]] was launched on December 15, after a three-day-long delay due to a malfunction and engine shutdown immediately after ignition. It entered into an {{convert|87|by|140|nmi|km|adj=on}} orbit, and was briefly visible from Gemini 7 just after launch. Borman and Lovell were also able to see the [[contrail]] from the launch.

The plan called for the rendezvous to take place on the fourth orbit of Gemini 6A. Their first burn came 94 minutes after launch when they increased their velocity by {{convert|16.5|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}. Due to their lower orbit they were gaining on Gemini 7 and were {{convert|634|nmi|km}} behind. The next burn was at 2 hours and 18 minutes when Gemini 6A made a phase adjustment to put them on the same [[orbit]]al inclination as Gemini 7. They now only trailed by {{convert|261|nmi|km}}.

The [[radar]] on Gemini 6A first made contact with Gemini 7 at 3 hours and 15 minutes when they were {{convert|234|nmi|km}} away. A third burn put them into a {{convert|146|by|148|nmi|km|adj=on}} orbit. As they slowly gained, [[Walter Schirra]] put Gemini 6A's computer in charge of the rendezvous, and at five hours and four minutes, he saw a bright object that he at first thought was the star [[Sirius]], but was in fact Gemini 7.

After several more burns the two spacecraft were only {{convert|130|ft|m}} apart. The burns had only used {{convert|110|lb}} of fuel on Gemini 6A, leaving plenty of fuel. During the next 270 minutes the crews moved as close as {{convert|1|ft|cm}}, talking over the radio. At one stage the spacecraft were station-keeping so well that neither crew had to make any burns for 20 minutes.

As the sleep periods approached, Gemini 6A made a separation burn and slowly drifted out to 16 kilometers, to prevent an accidental collision in the night. Gemini 6A reentered the next day, landing within {{convert|9.7|nmi|km}} of the planned site, the first truly accurate [[atmospheric reentry]].

===Last few days===
[[File:NASM-A19680273000-NASM2019-10008.jpg|thumb|Gemini VII Capsule]]
By this time, the novelty of spaceflight had worn off for the crew of Gemini 7. They had spent 11 days in space and had three more to go. They were doing little more than drifting around the Earth and the incentive of the rendezvous was over. Borman read ''[[Roughing It]]'' by [[Mark Twain]] and Lovell ''[[Drums Along the Mohawk (novel)|Drums along the Mohawk]]'' by [[Walter D. Edmonds]].<ref name="titans1" />

In the [[Discovery Channel]] 2008 documentary ''[[When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions]]'' second episode titled "Friends and Rivals", Borman states the last three days of the mission were "bad".

Malfunctions began: in a repeat of Gemini 5, some of the thrusters stopped working. After the flight this was traced to the fact that they had an old type of laminate in the thrust chamber. Also on the 12th day, the [[fuel cell]]s started to give only a partial amount of power. The ship's batteries were enough to sustain it for the remainder of the flight.

Finally the last day of the mission arrived and the crew stored everything for reentry. The [[retrorocket|retro-rockets]] worked perfectly after 14 days in space. They landed within {{convert|6.4|nmi|km}} of the targeted landing point.

The crewmen were somewhat weakened by their time in space, but both were in good health and were up and about after a good night's sleep on the recovery ship {{USS|Wasp|CV-18|6}}.  They were also in good spirits: during recovery, they joked to Mission Control about getting married after having spent so long together in space.

The Gemini 7 and 6A missions were supported by the following [[U.S. Department of Defense]] resources: 10,125 personnel, 125 aircraft and 16 ships.

==Insignia==
[[File:Gemini 7 Flown Fliteline Gold-Plated Sterling Silver Medallion.jpg|thumb|Gemini 7 space-flown [[NASA space-flown Robbins medallions of the Apollo missions#Gemini mission space-flown Fliteline medallions|Fliteline Medallion]]]]
The patch features an [[Olympic torch]], symbolizing the [[marathon (sport)|marathon]]-like length of the mission.{{sfn|Collins|2009|p=145}} There is a small stylized image of a Gemini spacecraft and the [[Roman numerals|Roman numeral]] VII for seven. The crew did not put its names on the patch, although souvenir versions did include the flight and crew names. The crew patch was designed by Houston artist and animator Bill Bradley.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bradley|first=William|title=History of Bradley's Art and Frame Shop, Houston, TX|url=http://bradleysartandframe.com/who-we-are/history-of-bradleys/|access-date=December 15, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bradley's Art & Frame shop newsletter|url=http://bradleysartandframe.com/newsletters/nl-sum05.pdf|work=NASA Patches}}</ref>

As with a few other missions, the backup crew produced a spoof of the insignia, featuring an unlit torch, a lighter and the words "NEED A LIGHT - FRANK? JIM?"

==Spacecraft location==
The spacecraft is on display at the [[National Air and Space Museum]], [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/capsule-gemini-vii|title=Gemini VII Capsule|publisher=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|access-date=December 26, 2017|archive-date=December 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227123011/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/capsule-gemini-vii|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [[Space capsule]]
* [[Space exploration]]
* [[Space suit]]
* [[Splashdown (spacecraft landing)|Splashdown]]
* [[U.S. space exploration history on U.S. stamps]]
*[[Timeline of longest spaceflights]]

==References==
{{Include-NASA}}
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last = Collins |first = Michael |others=Lindbergh, Charles (foreword) |year = 2009 |title = [[Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys]] |publisher = Cooper Square Press |isbn = 9780374531942}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gemini 7}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090621232111/https://mira.hq.nasa.gov/history/ws/hdmshrc/all/main/DDD/25014.PDF NASA Gemini 7/Gemini 6 press kit - November 29, 1965]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/apollo/Documents/Gemini7MissionReport.pdf Gemini 7 Mission Report (PDF) January 1966]
* [http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/cover.htm ''On The Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031207111557/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/cover.htm |date=2003-12-07 }}
*{{Internet Archive short film | proud_conquest_gemini_vi_vii | Proud Conquest : Gemini VI and VII}}
*{{Internet Archive | Gemini7-6 | Hear the communications audio of the Gemini 7/6A mission}}
* [http://www.genedorr.com/patches/Intro.html Spaceflight Mission Patches]

{{Gemini program}}
{{Orbital launches in 1965}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gemini 07}}
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1965]]
[[Category:1965 in the United States]]
[[Category:Project Gemini missions]]
[[Category:Human spaceflights]]
[[Category:Individual spacecraft in the Smithsonian Institution]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched by Titan rockets]]
[[Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 1965]]
[[Category:December 1965]]
[[Category:Jim Lovell]]
[[Category:Frank Borman]]
[[Category:Successful space missions]]