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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in the ball park with the previous spacecraft.
Cooper It had to be traveling right because as long as you
keep your rates zeroed it is going to trim to its
proper trim point. I agree with you completely. It
seemed to me as though we trimmed a lot nose higher
much earlier in the reentry than we did in the
simulator. You have less nose up above the horizon
for a longer period of time in the simulator than you
do in the actual case.
Conrad That was the only thing that seemed different about
the reentry.
Cooper It didn't concern me because I knew we were damped
and trimed out okay.
Conrad Yes, I knew we were in good shape , but it was a sig
nificant enough difference so as to be a glaring dif
ference with the s i mulator.
Cooper I don't know whether it actually was the case or not ,
but the reentry seemed to go much faster than it did
on the simulator.
Conrad From Guidance Initiate to 100 000 feet , it seemed to
pass at considerable less a.mount of time than it does
in the simulator .
Cooper Yes , it sure seemed to me like it did. That is some
thing I think we ought to have people check into to