The magnificent photos in the list below allow us to travel through space and time through the eyes of the American astronauts on the NASA Gemini Missions. During these missions into space, these astronauts managed to send back sublime shots of Earth as seen from space. Let’s take a closer look!
The Gemini Project was the second space programme launched in the United States after the Mercury missions. This ambitious programme aimed to improve the space flight techniques and achieve the goals that were unsuccessful in the first Mercury missions like extravehichular space walks, orbital maneuvers and weightlessness and gravity studies.
Between 1963 and 1966, the 10 Gemini Missions managed to carry out many advances into space travel that prepared for the Apollo missions. Many NASA astronauts took spectacular photographs of Earth as seen from space during these missions. Here is a selection of some on the best photographs taken from space during the Gemini missions that will take your breath away.
1/ Earth Observations, Gemini IV, 1965
This magnificent photograph of the Florida Strait was taken during the Gemini IV Mission in June 4 1965. The team on board were carrying out scientific experiments including taking photographs of the weather and the Earth’s surface.
2/ Artificial gravitation experiment, Gemini XI, 1966
On the 14 September, a target vehicle was attached to Gemini XI. Pilots Charles Conrad and Dick Gordon maneuvered the ship so that the probe remained tensee. By pulling the lateral thrusters so as to pivot the space ship, they used centrifuge energy to generate about 0.00015 g of artificial energy.
3/ Kennedy Space Centre taken from Gemini VII, 1965
This is a photo of the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida taken from Gemini VII. Complex 19 where Gemini VII took off can be clearly seen at the bottom of the picture.
4/ The view from Gemini XI, 1370 kilometres above Earth, 1966
The eastern side of Australian can be seen in this photo taken from Gemini XI at about 1370 km above Earth. This was a record altitude and the highlight of a demanding 3-day mission for the crew.
5/ Ed White, The first American to try weightlessness in space, 1965
On the 3 June 1965, Ed White is the first American to leave the space ship and go into zero-gravity of space. For about 23 minutes, he floated around the Gemini probe while still travelling 500 km!
6/ The Andes Mountains seen from Gemini VII
Waves of clouds on the slopes of the Andes cast an orange glow from the weak angle of the sun. Astronauts Frank Borman and James Lovell took this magnificent photograph during the Gemini Mission VII above the north of Bolivia.
7/ Gemini VI Satellites
On the 4 December 1964, NASA launched Gemini VII. With this mission they managed to send their first two satellites into space.
