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Gemini Missions: 13 incredible photos of Earth taken from Space

Credits photo : NASA

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.

la terre vue de l'espace
Photo credit: NASA

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.

Missions Gemini Terre depuis l'espace
Photo credits: NASA

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.

Gemini terre vue du ciel
Credit photo: NASA

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.

Missions Gemini
Photo credit: NASA

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!

Missions Gemini Terre depuis l'espace
Photo credit: NASA

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.

Missions Gemini Terre depuis l'espace
Photo credits: NASA

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.

Terre depuis l'espace
Photo credit: Wikipedia