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Gemini 4 Experiment Debriefing, 1967

National Aeronautics and Space Administration · 1965 · 224 pages · text from the file's own layer

This NASA file from 1965 combines Mission Operation Report M-913-65-04 on the Gemini 4 (GT-4) flight with related correspondence. Memoranda from the Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight describe the planned four-day mission with James McDivitt and Edward White, including a spacewalk, a rendezvous with the booster second stage and thirteen experiments. Later letters and telegrams from NASA's Manned Space Science office concern the astronaut debriefing and requests for GT-4 photography and film for scientific analysis.

From the source:Release of 2026-06-12 Incident: June 3-7, 1965, Low Earth Orbit. Gemini IV was the second crewed mission of the Gemini series. Astronauts James McDivitt and Edward White successfully completed the four-day flight between June 3 and June 7, 1965. The mission included the first American spacewalk. This collection of documents contains a transcription of the astronauts recounting their observations of bright particles outside the spacecraft, dated circa June 25, 1967, on pages 78-81, and page 101.

  • p. 12 …Some elements of the Mission Control Center at Cape Kennedy and the GSFC computing facility will…
  • p. 28 …network support facilities include the MCC-Houston, Cape Kennedy (CNV), Air Force Eastern Test Range (AFETR…
  • p. 132 …preclude all m"lit • tT and "busy " Cape (Kennedy) and all the - • d t l\". •., Flight…
  • p. 134 …trained on Cape Kennedy and ....,._.. - • .m. Gemini Control at Houston re- reported they were able to…
  • p. 135 …e ow pom a • ' c 1 1 ;, . ·,, aloft from Cape Kennedy, After four maneuvers, in- oon…
00
M-913-65-04
GT-4 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY LANDING ZONES,
RECOVERY SHIP SUPPORT AND CONTINGENCY RESCUE FORCES
\)
;J DO
30"
~
00 HICKAM 0
00
00
0 GUAM
O"
~ PRIMARY
l~ RECOVERYAREA 0 PAGO PAGO
8 "REEm;~ANEA
CVS CARRI ER 30"
00 OESTROYER
AO OILER
0 CO NTINGE NCY
RESCUE FORC ES
/)};;
FIG. 23
of Figure 24. Other areas in the world along the ground tracks are called contingency
landing areas. Because these contingency landing areas are world-wide, it has been
necessary to pre-position certain aircraft with their associated crews, pararescuemen,
and paramedics so that they will be able to reach the spacecraft in sufficient time to
render aid to the downed astronauts. These contingency forces have been deployed to
the bases shown in Figure 23 .
It should be noted that there
are numerous types of aircraft
in the launch area and primary
landing area for telemetry,
weather reconnaissance, aerial
photography, and recovery
operations. In addition to
these aircraft there are also
several helicopters in the pri
mary recovery area from the
aircraft carrier that are carry
ing swimmers. These swimmers
deploy into the water and
attach an auxiliary flotation
collar to the spacecraft. Launc
area recovery forces are de
picted in Figure 25.
RECOVERY AREA FORCES
ARS AIRCRAF T PRIMARY RECOV ERY ZONE
200 MILES BY
USS WASP AND
ONE DESTROYE R
AIRCRAFT
1 USAF SSB RELAY AIRCRAFT
AT TOUCHDOWN POINT
3 WASP HELICOPTERS
1 WASP COMMAND
(480 MILES N DIAM ETER )
LANDING FOOTPRINT
(ELLIPSE -
40 MILES)
~ ARS AIRCRAFT
FIG. 24
5/24/65 Page 21

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Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 224 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.