The Gemini capsules, named after the constellation of the twins, were designed to hold two astronauts. The craft were maneuverable, and they were equipped to support life for fourteen days. They had the same bell shape as the Mercury capsules that had gone into space before them. Also like Mercury, Gemini began one step behind the Soviets.
The objective of the Gemini program was simple: to determine if an astronaut could endure weightlessness long enough to go to the Moon and back. The first Gemini mission was launched on March 23, 1965. The craft was nicknamed the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" after a popular musical. Gemini 1 flew for only 4 hours and 53 minutes, but the short trip was memorable. Astronaut John W. Young made headlines (and waves with NASA) by presenting fellow astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom with a corned beef sandwich he had smuggled into the capsule.
Although there were 12 Gemini missions in all, Gemini 7 was the one that fulfilled the program's ultimate objective. Gemini 7 set a new endurance record for people staying in space -- 330 hours and 35 minutes. During its 220 orbits, it covered twenty times the distance to the Moon. The question of whether or not a person could survive the weightlessness of a trip to the Moon and back was answered.
The later Gemini missions concentrated on perfecting techniques for orbiting, rendezvousing, and docking, on practicing activities outside the spacecraft, and on studying the dynamics of extended missions -- all in preparation for getting to the Moon.
