Gemini 8

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Originally Posted by dhanners

I just read that Gemini 8 (or VIII, I've seen both) carried the Maneuvering Unit packed in the back. Does that mean it also had those big handholds in back? If anyone knows (or has reference help) I'll add it/them to the model.

These things are never finished....

Great stuff going on here...
As far as I know, the hand- and footholds of the Geminis equipped with the MMU were retracted and folded until the astronaut got to his EVA. Then the hatch was blown off and the foot and handholds extended. He then had to press an outside button behind the cockpit hatch to extend the guidance railing. Then the astronaut had to crawl to the back of the spacecraft and strap himself to the MMU.

[dhanners]

I came across the diagram earlier, PK, but since Dan didn't include the handholds in the Gemini VIII model -- but he did for others -- I was wondering if he had some research indicating the flight didn't have them.

I emailed Mike Mackowski (an old friend from the Aviation and Space Writers' Association) and asked and he said he didn't know, but would assume the flight had the handholds and footrest since it carried the maneuvering unit. He was going to dig around and see if he could find mission-specific information.

I posed the question over at NASAspaceflight.com, but so far, nobody has replied.

[Paper Kosmonaut]

In this blog entry of Beyond Apollo, David Portree claims there would've been a handheld manoeuvring unit, much like the one Ed White had on GT-4:

The GEPG (Gemini Extravehicular Planning Group) noted that oxygen flow through White’s space suit had kept him cool and dry “except when [he] was working at a high exertion level.” On Gemini VIII and subsequent missions, an Extravehicular Life Support System (ELSS) would replace the VCM. The ELSS could be used with a backpack-mounted oxygen supply that would permit hour-long EVAs without an umbilical. The GEPG recommended that the Gemini VIII EVA astronaut test the ELSS chest-pack to ensure that it could cool even a hard-working spacewalker adequately.
The GEPG also recommended that EVA equipment too large for cockpit storage be stowed on the aft-facing concave surface of the Adapter Section, the aft-most and widest part of the Gemini spacecraft, as well as on the GATV. On Gemini VIII, oversize equipment would include an HHMU with 10 times as much compressed oxygen as White’s HHMU. The Gemini VIII EVA astronaut would evaluate the Adapter Section stowage concept, then test the HHMU.

[source]
So there probably was no AMU on board but there might have been some equipment stowed in the space that was reserved for it.

[dhanners]

Someone provided an answer at NASAspaceflight.com and the bottom line is I'll have to add the handholds and footrest and a couple of other handholds as well. And some Velcro patches. The reply had a link that contained a bunch of other great links.
Gemini 8 and ADT, in card, 1/32nd scale

[mspacemike]

I have a picture of the GT8 EVA Equipment, showing the backpack (ESP-Extravehicular Support Package, which contained extra oxygen to enable an hour long EVA like Kosmonaut indicated, and also contained a larger propellant supply for the HHMU, and an ultrahigh frequency radio package for independent voice communications), the ELSS, and the HHMU. The second picture shows the GT9 adaptor back, which is a follow-on from the failed EVA from GT8. The only difference is that the GT9 had the AMU-Astronaut Maneuvering Unit, ELSS and no HHMU. Each had a 25 foot umbilical hose and a 75 foot electrical tether to allow some distance to move about the exterior of the capsule.

The third picture shows how the astronaut would look in getting into the AMU on GT9 in simulations. A note here, it was mentioned that every astronaut of the future would have an office that would look like this. Dont yours?

The fourth picture is of the ESP and the stowed tether.

Source: NASA SP-149 Summary of Gemini Extravehicular Activity dated 1967.

[dhanners]

Those photos are quite helpful. Thanks!

Back to the workbench for my model....

[mspacemike]

Now that you have a finished ADT from Gemini 8, you can also use it with a Gemini 10 spacecraft as well.

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Now don't forget the brushes on the top right behind the docking collar, guys!
(I was at the NASA exhibition "A Human Adventure" the other day and I saw this 1:1 mockup of the ATV amongst other impressive artefacts and replicas. On top of the Agena I saw these brushes. Now clearly, they mustn't belong there. Probably forgotten by a cleaner, I guess. But who knows?)
On the photo you look at the top of the Agena, the docking collar is at the outermost right of the picture.

[dhanners]

Wish I'd had that photo when I was building the thing. It answers a couple of questions I had.....

[Bengt Fredén]

Mike!

Thank you for the direct order link to the SIM Books - I just ordered the Gemini spacecraft book, to complement the ones I have on Mercury, Apollo and the Space Shuttle.

All the best,
Bengt