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If you are ever able to make it to the KSC visitor complex in Cape Canaveral they have mock-ups of both the Gemini and earlier Mercury capsules you can get in a
by t1234s 1y ago
If you are ever able to make it to the KSC visitor complex in Cape Canaveral they have mock-ups of both the Gemini and earlier Mercury capsules you can get in as a size reference. They are both incredibly tight. It's amazing during Gemini 7 they spent 14 days crammed in the capsule testing systems, doing EVA activity along with normal human activity (eating, sleeping, bodily functions). All while being seconds from death at any time if things go wrong. These early astronauts were men of a different caliber.
- KineticLensman 1y ago> They are both incredibly tight. ISTR an astronaut saying that you didn't 'get into' a Mercury capsule, instead you 'put it on'.
- psunavy03 1y agoNot too much different than most tactical jets, to be honest.
- teachrdan 1y agoYou don't stay in a tactical jet for 14 days...
- KineticLensman 1y agoNobody stayed in a Mercury capsule for 14 days, although Gordon Cooper's flight (the last and longest Mercury) lasted 34 hours
- teachrdan 1y agoSorry for the misunderstanding, I was referring to the longest Gemini mission.
- Aardwolf 1y agoI don't seem to find anything resembling washrooms on a mercury capsule, how was that managed during those 34 hours?
- KineticLensman 1y agoUrine collection tubes - like a condom with a bag attached.
- euroderf 1y agoSo, a diet of only liquids ? But didn't they have the standard steak breakfast on launch day ?
- 542458 1y agoThe Todd Miller Apollo 13 documentary (which is phenomenal, it's entirely file footage but assembled better than most blockbusters) has these bits during launch/landing where they overlay the three astronaut's heart rates with the footage. My big takeaway from that was that they were incredibly unflappable, almost to an absurd degree.
- steve1977 1y agoNot to take away from their achievement, but do we know if there were drugs involved?
- roryirvine 1y agoNot for takeoff. Apollo astronauts used barbituates to help sleep, and scopolamine with dextroamphetamine during re-entry. Unsurprisingly the average HR during re-entry was rather higher than at launch! (source: https://space.stackexchange.com/a/31987 https://space.stackexchange.com/a/31987 ) Gemini would likely have been similar, save for using Cyclizine during re-entry rather than scopolamine/dextroamphetamine. Detailed info about the Apollo medkit: http://heroicrelics.org/info/csm/apollo-medical-kit.html http://heroicrelics.org/info/csm/apollo-medical-kit.html Less-detailed history of NASA medkits, mentioning Gemini: https://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/spaceflight/space-medicine/evolution-medical-kits-mercury-iss/ https://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/spaceflight/space-medici...
- zettabomb 1y agoI think you mean Apollo 11, Apollo 13 was the dramatization with Tom Hanks. Both excellent movies in their own ways.
- 542458 1y agoOh drat. Yes, you're 100% correct. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8760684/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8760684/
- kouru225 1y agoNot as good as For All Mankind (the 1989 documentary) IMO! Link: https://youtu.be/JD2W4CZbH9U?si=WvdYuLnoe49_tV0l https://youtu.be/JD2W4CZbH9U?si=WvdYuLnoe49_tV0l
- solotronics 1y agoFor anybody near DFW the Apollo 7 Command Module is on display at the Frontiers of Flight museum at Dallas Love Field. Its pretty amazing to see it in person and think about the engineering involved. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_7#/media/File:Apollo_7_Command_Module_Museum.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_7#/media/File:Apollo_7_...