• 4 months ago
On Aug. 29, 1965, two NASA astronauts returned from their record-breaking Gemini 5 mission.

Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad spent eight days in Earth's orbit, and for the first time, the United States set a world record for the duration of a crewed spaceflight. While in orbit, the astronauts were supposed to test rendezvous capabilities and maneuvers using a pod that deployed from their spacecraft. But due to an electrical problem, they had to cancel those plans along with several science experiments. Pete Conrad later called the mission "eight days in a garbage can," referring to the cramped quarters of the Gemini spacecraft.
Transcript
00:00On this day in space.
00:03In 1965, two NASA astronauts returned from their record-breaking Gemini 5 mission.
00:08Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad spent eight days in Earth's orbit,
00:11and for the first time, the United States set a world record for the duration of a crewed spaceflight.
00:15While in orbit, the astronauts were supposed to test rendezvous capabilities and maneuvers
00:19using a pod that deployed from their spacecraft.
00:21But due to an electrical problem, they had to cancel those plans along with several science experiments.
00:26Pete Conrad later called the mission,
00:28referring to the cramped quarters of the Gemini spacecraft.
00:32And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:35Music.

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