Gemini: spacecraft history, specs and record

The spacecraft was 18 feet 5 inches (5.61 m) long and 10 feet (3.0 m) wide, with a launch weight varying from 7,100 to 8,350 pounds (3,220 to 3,790 kg).

Record

12 launches, 12 built and flown.

At a glance

• Type: Capsule
• Built by: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Status: Retired
• Crew: Up to 2
• First flight: 1964-04-08
• Height: 5.61 m
• Diameter: 3 m

History

The Gemini crew capsule (referred to as the Reentry Module) was essentially an enlarged version of the Mercury capsule. Unlike Mercury, the retrorockets, electrical power, propulsion systems, oxygen, and water were located in a detachable Adapter Module behind the Reentry Module. A major design improvement in Gemini was to locate all internal spacecraft systems in modular components, which could be independently tested and replaced when necessary, without removing or disturbing other already tested components.

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