Country of Origin: United States of America
Dimensions:
Overall: 10 ft. 10 in. tall x 7 ft. 5 in. wide (330.2 x 226.1cm)
Materials:
Structure: Titanium; cylindrical section: beryllium alloy; conical section: Rene 41 (nickel-steel alloy); heat shield: silicone elastomer
Skin: Beryllium, Nickel Alloy
Walter M. "Wally" Schirra commanded Gemini VI-A and Thomas P. "Tom" Stafford was the pilot. Gemini VI was originally scheduled to rendezvous and dock with an Agena target vehicle in October 1965, but after that vehicle was destroyed during launch, the mission was renumbered VI-A and changed to a rendezvous with Gemini VII. Gemini VI-A was launched on December 15, 1965, eleven days after Gemini VII, which acted as the rendezvous target. Three orbits after its launch, Gemini VI-A approached to within 6 inches of Gemini VII, the first rendezvous in space history. The Gemini VI-A flight lasted 26 hours and 16 orbits.
NASA transferred the spacecraft to the Smithsonian in 1968.
Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
