Documents / Official release

Gemini 9 Debriefing, 1966

National Aeronautics and Space Administration · 1966 · 78 pages · text from the file's own layer

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.

  • p. 12 …Experiments Debfiefing of Gemini IX held in Bldg . 4, MSC at 8:30 A.M. June…
  • p. 17 …Report on Gemini 9 \ ) Gemini 9 - n~e,ct:xon on our experimen was impressive . a…
  • p. 43 …John Clark re S- 28 support for Gemini IX, 5/27/66 and TWX to 4…
  • p. 46 …ieo.tifl.o er1mcit Carri out on Gemini lX ee1on carr1 t following OSSl ta: 11g…
  • p. 51 …Gill 5/31 4:30 p . m. Manned Fli ht Bx eriments Ofc. SECURITY CLASSIfICATION206ll I…
  • p. 53 …NOTE AND FORWARD NOTE AND RETURN (last) PER REQUEST 4. SM Kathy ltECOMMENDATION SEE ME s…
  • p. 59 …title Bxperlnlenta OD Gemini IX saion. as a reaul.t of' t.allure of ~ IX. The…
  • p. 64 …Tentative list of invitees to attend Gemini IX Debriefing nine ( 9) days following recovery submitted by…
  • p. 73 …Status of Scientific (OSSA) Experiments on Gemini IX The following scientific experiments are scheduled for Gemini…
  • p. 75 …Be will al.so take 4 pictur o:f' th a.irglow and a picture of…
  • p. 77 …Status of tibmti:Kixll cientif'ic tOSSA) xperiments on Gemini IX The f ollowing scientific exper…
OPTION.Al fOI.M. NO. 10
MAY lf'2 fDffiOH
C SA fPMt (41 Cfl) 101-11.6
U ITED STATES GO ERNME T
Memorandum
T O SM/Director, Manned Flight Experiment s Office DATE: March 7, 1966
FROM SM/Jocelyn R. Gill
SUBJECT : Status of Scientific (OSSA) Experiments on Gemini IX
The following scientific experiments are scheduled for Gemini IX : S -l ,
Zodiacal Light Photography; S-10, Micrometeorite Collection on Agena;
S -11, Airglow Horizon Pbbtography; S -12, Micrometeorite Collection on
Gemini , related to S- 10; and Dim Light Photography being presented to
SSSC as S- 28 on Friday, March 4, 1966 . (L . Dunkelman, GSFC) .
S -l : Zodiacal Light Photography, E . Ney, Univ . of Minnesota .
Astronaut briefing, Ney reports that one briefing has been held in
Houston and another will be scheduled for the Planetarium . Elliott See,
Charles Bassett and James Lovell were present for the first briefing:
Tom Stafford was not . Under the circumstances , it is likely that the
briefing will have to be repeated ,
Equipment, The camera equipment is now at the Cape . Documentation has
presented some problems , mainly the insistence on a new serial number
for the camera since it now has a handle on it . The handle is mounted
with boles on the camera . Tri -X film will be used with and without the
window. With hatch open and using the spacecraft as an occulting disk,
the astronaut will place himself in the shadow of the s/c and see how
far out he can trace the extens ion of the solar corona . He will also
take 4 pictures of the airglow and a picture of the Milky Way .
The principal investigator commented that he was very pleas ed with the
enthusiastic reception from See and Bassett for the equipment and
experiment . They have been the most interested in this experiment of all
the astronauts who have been associated with it . Since Tom Stafford bas
been very cooperative in the experimental program, I personally have
confidence that he will pick up where See and Bassett have left off, and
that the experiment can go off as planned .
S- 10 : Micrometeorite Collection on Agena .
It employs the same bracket as S - 12 . This modus operandi has cost more
than a new design and has given much trouble . GSI ( government service
inspection ) has been a problem since i t was not written into the contract .
The problem is with the fairing with the handle in the open position .
Lubrication bas also been a problem since the contractor has applied it
in 11 glops 11 instead of following instructions . The experiment is all ready,
l so far as equipment is concerned .
Buy U.S. Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings Plan
so,0-101

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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.