On Sept. 14, 1966, NASA's Gemini 11 mission set an all-time spaceflight altitude record when two astronauts reached an orbit of 850 miles above the Earth.
This remains the highest altitude ever achieved by a crewed, non-lunar mission. Gemini 11 command pilot Pete Conrad and pilot Dick Gordon spent three days orbiting the Earth in their cramped Gemini spacecraft. After launch, they performed the first-ever direct-ascent rendezvous with an Agena target vehicle.
Once the two spacecraft were adjoined, they used the rocket on the Agena target vehicle to ascend to their record-breaking altitude. They also created a little bit of artificial gravity while in orbit by using their thrusters to rotate the combined spacecraft.
This remains the highest altitude ever achieved by a crewed, non-lunar mission. Gemini 11 command pilot Pete Conrad and pilot Dick Gordon spent three days orbiting the Earth in their cramped Gemini spacecraft. After launch, they performed the first-ever direct-ascent rendezvous with an Agena target vehicle.
Once the two spacecraft were adjoined, they used the rocket on the Agena target vehicle to ascend to their record-breaking altitude. They also created a little bit of artificial gravity while in orbit by using their thrusters to rotate the combined spacecraft.
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00On this day in space.
00:03In 1966, NASA's Gemini 11 mission set an all-time spaceflight altitude record
00:08when two astronauts reached an orbit of 850 miles above the Earth.
00:12This remains the highest altitude ever achieved by a crewed, non-lunar mission.
00:17Gemini 11 command pilot Pete Conrad and pilot Dick Gordon spent three days
00:21orbiting the Earth in their cramped Gemini spacecraft.
00:24After launch, they performed the first ever direct ascent rendezvous with an Agena target vehicle.
00:29Once the two spacecraft were joined, they used the rocket on the Agena target vehicle
00:33to ascend to their record-breaking altitude.
00:36They also created a little bit of artificial gravity while in orbit
00:39using the thrusters to rotate the combined spacecraft.
00:42And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:45NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology