Gemini 9A

Hey everyone,

Gemini 9A was the 7th manned flight of Project Gemini. The original crew of Elliot See and Charles Basset were killed in an airplane crash outside of St. Louis, MO in 1966. They were replaced by Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan. Again, they would rendezvous with an Agena vehicle and attempt a space walk. The first launch of the Agena failed and another rocket was launched two weeks later. The rendezvous was successful, but Cernan's EVA was another story. Cernan struggled with his tasks and fell behind quickly as his visor fogged. At the rear of the ship was the Astronaut Maneuvering Unit (AMU) which was a rocket pack type device, but a lack of hand and foot holds with the fogged visor soon caused exhaustion. His heart rate soared to 195 beats per minutes which led to the shortening of the EVA. Cernan had been outside the craft for 128 minutes. After conducting a few experiments, they prepared for re-entry and splashed down within 700 meters of their intended landing. The EVA problems would later resolved.