Documents / Official release
This 1966 NASA file collects memoranda by Jocelyn R. Gill of the Manned Flight Experiments Office, plus related correspondence, on the scientific experiments of the Gemini IX mission. Status reports from March and June 1966 describe the zodiacal light, airglow, micrometeorite and synoptic photography experiments, and an experiments debriefing held June 16. The file also contains a congratulatory telegram to astronauts Stafford and Cernan and a Naval Research Laboratory letter on the S-9 cosmic ray experiment. It reports no unidentified objects.
From the source: Release of 2026-06-12 Incident: June 3-6, 1966, Low Earth Orbit. Gemini IX (renamed Gemini IX-A) was the seventh crewed flight of the Gemini series, launched on June 3, 1966. The mission’s primary objectives included a spacewalk and multiple scientific and medical experiments. This document, dated June 16, 1966, is a transcript of a NASA debriefing of astronauts Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan. Pages 2-5 of this document contain the astronauts’ accounts of their observations of “flashing lights” and “sparkles” during the mission.
OPTtONA.L FORM NU. 10 • MAY INZ. EDIT(ON - GSA P'PMR (,t CFR) t01-11 .f. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT Memorandum TO SM/ DirectoJ , ~~ DATE: June 21 , 1966 Manned Fli k-'t' 1~ periments Office FROM SM/Jocelyn R. Gill SUBJECT: Report on Gemini 9 \ ) Gemini 9 - n~e,ct:xon on our experimen was impressive . a S-1 - Zodi~al Light Experiment (N ) - This was done inside the capsule . Pictures were taken of the zod~cal light and the Milky Way . Guiding was quite good even for the 30 second sweep . Tri - x film was used , and best pictures yet of the zodi~cal light . S-11 - Airglow Horizon Photographic Experiment (Koomf n) - Naval Research Laboratory - About 40 us~ble pictures of the airglow with a split field picture were obtained . Some of the same star field were shown in S-1 . Guiding was very good even though Cernan had to take pictures in a very awkward position . S-12 - Micrometeorite Collection (Hemenway) - Showed several pictures which were greatly magnified - enlargement of the micrometeorite experiment . Only a small portion of the exposed surface has been analyzed . Nevertheless 9 important ones are recorded on these films . Hemenway is investigating possible contamination between experiments before sending individual portions to guest experimenters . Biological Experiments - Results of these come . out faster . Part A: 3 swabs were taken inside of spacecraft . Preflight were dirty . Postflight : Some areas were sterile . Part B: Penicillium and T- 4 bactericidal specimens survived the spaceflight . Two other specimens did not . 30 day report may have more results but micrometeorite experiment will take some time . Buy U.S. Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings Plan
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Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 78 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.