Gemini 5 Technical Debriefing, Part II, 1965

This is a preliminary Part II transcript of the Gemini 5 (GT-5) flight crew debriefing, prepared by the Spacecraft Operations Branch of NASA's Flight Crew Support Division and dated September 2, 1965. It records astronauts Cooper and Conrad at the Crew Quarters, Cape Kennedy. They discuss how the spacecraft systems worked, including the platform and the OAMS thruster failures. The transcript also covers operational checks, visual sightings, experiments, training, premission planning, and medical aspects. It was originally classified Confidential.

From the source:Release of 2026-06-12 Incident: August 30 - September 2, 1965, Cape Kennedy, Florida. This document is a preliminary transcript (Part II) derived from voice recordings of the Gemini 5 flight crew technical debriefing. NASA conducted this debriefing between August 30, 1965, and September 2, 1965, at the Crew Quarters, Cape Kennedy, Florida. Astronauts L. Gordon Cooper and Charles “Pete” Conrad described observing debris and “snow” and “all sorts of glittering pieces of this, that and the other thing” in the “Visual Sightings” section of the document (pages 157-220).

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above ground or wherever it was , I saw them come
off the grormd just as plain as day. You really
could see them. He really stood out tt.e second time
against the sand background.
Cooper You extended your eyes on that. You didn't save
them for the visibility targets .
Conrad We ' ll t alk about those visibility t argets . I
told you, before I went, I didn't think t hat was the
way to measure eyesight up there.
Cooper I don't ei ther. I think, that the problem--
11 . 2 Celestial , Space , and terrestrial Radiometry (D-4/7)
Conrad Celestial space and terrestrial radiometry , D- 4/ D-7 .
I think , what I'd better do is just go right through
t he log.
C.Q;t-4fIDEMTIM.