Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-12-02
BY WILLIAM HINES
Star Science Writer

The space agency probably
will make a drastic revision
within the next few weeks in
its $3.50 million Gemini manned
space flight program.
The project, billed as Ameri-
cas- second step on the road
to the moon, is now tagging
several months behind origi-
nally announced schedules and
Is plagued by sharply mounting
costs. Planners at the National
Aeronautics and Space Admin
istration say the revision now
awaiting final approval will save
both time and money.
If the planners are right, the
revised Gemini program will
give NASA an orbital rendez-
vous capability six months
earlier than now appears posi-
BILE. Rendezvous Is the term
for bringing together two OBJ
jects In space - a technique
that must be mastered before
man can attempt the moon
journey set by President Ken
nedy as the prime space goal
Of the 1960s.
The saving in money seems
to be more apparent than real.
Key to the revised Gemini pro-
gram is elimination of Atlas
Agena-D space rockets which
would cost an estimated 500
million. But some NASA plan
ners say the money saved" on
these rockets will probably be
used for something else in the
program.
TwO-Man Project
The change comes midway
in the preliminary phase of
the two-man Gemini project.
Gemini first was publicly an
nounced on December z, 1861.
The first test flight of a Titan
2 booster rocket topped by
an unnamed Gemini space
capsule is now tentatively set
for late 1868 or early 1864.
Gemini is the space flight
program that is supposed to
take over where the one-man
Mercury program leaves off. In
addition to giving astronauts
experience two at a time, it en-
visions long orbital flights-up
to 10 days in duration-and
experiments to perfect the rem
devious technique.
AS recently as four months
ago, the Gemini project was
firmly programmed as follows:
An unnamed orbital flight,
probably one trip around the
earth, would be tried in late
1868 as q system checkout. |
This would be followed by
about four manned flights
gradually increasing in dura-
ton from one day to about 10
days. The first of these was
officially timed for late 1868.
but most NASA officials rec
ognized that this target date
was unrealistically optimistic.
The Rendezvous Chase
Following the four manned
orbital flights, Gemini would
move into a rendezvous phase
of about seven missions, most
of them two or three days in
length. These supposedly would
begin in 1865, They would be
carried out in this way: Wl
An Atlas rocket with a spe-
cially adapted AgenaD upper
stage would be launched from
Cape Canaveral. The AgenaD
would go into a circular orbit
about 100 miles above the earth.
At a precise time about a day
later, a Titan-2 topped by q
Gemini space craft containing
two men would blast off from
the Florida base.
When the two finally came
within range Of each other
about 200 miles-the Gemini
pilots would steer their craft
toward the target until it
could be seen with the naked
eye at q range of roughly 20
miles. They would then fly
their craft toward the target
vehicle and dock its nose in a
cone-shaped port in the Agena,
much as a Jet fighter pilot
links his plane up with a
tanker on refueling missions. |
Properly done, the rendez-
vous would be accomplished
with the Gemini fuel supply
exhausted and the Agena I'M
touched. The Agena power
plant could be used for mis-
sions involving maneuvering in
space. These might include
channas in cnIIrse or hnlder