Gemini 11 Launch

[MrGchiasson]

I was a teenager.. We thought America could do anything.. We had a purpose and we weere going into space. For the last couple of years, we've been going into space hoping to find something to do.. What a waste. The space program gave us extraordinary boosts in technology in every field. What do we get today? Better video games and space shuttle fleet in museums..

[GGE47]

I think the main mission was to rendezvous with the Agena rocket on just one orbit instead of three.The Agena sent them into a higher orbit.The space walk didn't do too good,trying to work in space as previous missions did, but their last chance on Gemeini 12 succeded.

[bestamerica]

'

come on america,,,

america can make it many ICBM titan missiles, add fins on the end near engine, more better mileages

[ti994apc]

Titan II was the best all American rocket we ever had until the creation of Falcon9. The Titan brand was ruined by the addition of SRB's with Titan III. The Titan II launched all the way until 2003 even after being in storage for perhaps 30 years. It was very reliable, low cost, and the only rocket to achieve single stage to orbit.

[MadHighway]

@ti994apc

Titan III launched Viking 1 and 2 and Voyager 1 and 2. Pretty damned good rocket.

[ti994apc]

@MadHighway Titan III and IV were too big of a rocket to have as many failures as it did. Sometimes 2 in one year. The Titan II which used the LR-87 engine was probably the most reliable engine the US ever had. It could be mass produced and could take 3 different types of fuel. I think the only mistake of Saturn rocket to have not used it. It was the addition of SRB's that caused issues. Most big failures since 1985 have been with rockets that use SRB's.

[ti994apc]

This was the last reliable, low cost rocket the US ever had. In todays money it was only about 25 million. Compare that to 1.6 billion of Shuttle (a total waste). In 1965 I think we had 10 launches in one year. If only we had kept it and upgraded the second stage we could have accomplished so much. SpaceX will bring the US back to its glory days unless Lockheeds powerful lobby groups get in the way.

[quesondriac]

@ti994apc Yes, rockets got cheaper and more reliable. Too bad we did not keep Apollo and aim for a permanently manned space station instead of going for the Shuttle. Do you know what the cost of an apollo launch was?

[strengman]

As a 10 yr old boy in Sanford ,FL. I watched the Gemini program launches from my back yard. Monday I have a bitter sweet reunion with my youth as I watch one of the last shuttle launches. I hope we continue our exploration of the heavens.

[xvoy2002]

@strengman  Thats pretty amazine. We must be aroudn the same age.. I used to watch the launches on our old black and white tv,, the play iwth my freinds pretending we were astronaughts... The fact that you actually saw the launches must have been amazing for a kid.

[El135o]

Highest flight of Gemini. Cool that they met up with the Agena booster and used it to get to a higher orbit.

I'm sure NASA is using this data still for research into the Orion program, which will use Earth-orbit rendezvous techniques for resumption of lunar exploration.

[DumbYankies]

@El135o yep. It actually proved the technique that was not used on apollo. Launch one rocket with your upper stage, the next with your Command/Service module. Link up in orbit and head to the moon. They went for the monolithic approach for other reasons, but it would have worked. A Circumluar gemini flight in late 66 or mid 67 was possible. Only needed bigger centaur and thicker heat shield. Gemini had the duration to do it. Apollo 8 in 1966...

[pacific707]

@El135o Didn't they get up to 850+ miles above the Earth? That seems to be my recollection, but I was just a very young kid at the time. The pictures taken from orbit on this flight are pretty amazing. Conrad and Gordon remained very good friends, didn't they? They were lucky to fly with each other, again, and with Alan Bean on Apollo 12.

[toddsmitts]

Go, Pete and Dick!

[falconlem]

I've got this documentary, try and post soon.

[1singlet]

You can see the capsule, fairly clearly, on top as it takes off. I can just imagine the G's starting to build. Thx.

[daltonagre]

Cold war gave tecnology to mankind.

[JenniferUzumaki]

sadly...

[Neuf1965]

tecnology is a good thing.

[joshatkins94]

This technology was used for good. Other cold war technology wasn't.

[bioshot2]

@daltonagre why?

[youarthurhu]

I Dream of Jeanie