The 6555th, Chapter IV, Section 3

Taking the High Ground: The 6555th's Role in Space through 1970

The TITAN IV / GEMINI Program

The 6555th's TITAN II/GEMINI Division lasted considerably longer than its SLV-II Division. Though no TITAN II/GEMINI launch operations were supported in 1963, Air Force contractors completed an 18-month-long remodeling project on Complex 19 for Project GEMINI in August. The GEMINI Launch Vehicle Division monitored that effort, and it supervised the Martin Company's checkout of the first GEMINI launch vehicle, which arrived from Martin's Baltimore facility on 26 October 1963. Under Lieutenant Colonel (and later, Colonel) John G. Albert, the Division exercised technical test control over the TITAN II/GEMINI launch vehicle, but the Martin Company launched the booster. Martin launched the first unmanned TITAN II/GEMINI mission from Complex 19 on 8 April 1964, and the flight succeeded in placing an unmanned 7,000-pound GEMINI capsule into low earth orbit on that date. Though the second unmanned TITAN II/GEMINI launch vehicle had to be dismantled to protect it from two hurricanes in August and September 1964, it was launched successfully on 19 January 1965. The first manned GEMINI mission was launched from Complex 19 on 23 March 1965, and it met all of its test objectives. (Astronauts Virgil I. Grissom and John W. Young were recovered with their capsule in the primary recovery area after three orbits on March 23rd.) Nine more pairs of astronauts were boosted into orbit aboard TITAN II/GEMINI launch vehicles in 1965 and 1966, and seven ATLAS/AGENA target vehicles were launched from Complex 14 in support of six GEMINI missions.²⁰

GEMINI/TITAN II COMPLEX 19

Following the last highly successful TITAN II/GEMINI flight in November 1966, the GEMINI Launch Vehicle Division completed its mission and began transferring personnel to other Air Force bases or to other agencies under the 6555th Aerospace Test Wing. Colonel Albert became the 6555th's Executive Officer toward the end of January 1967, and the Wing was awarded the Theodore von Karman trophy for its successful support of Project GEMINI. Though GEMINI had been a NASA project, DOD experiments were conducted on GEMINI flights, and NASA and the Air Force both derived benefits from the astronauts' activities in space. Like Project MERCURY, Project GEMINI demonstrated that space launch vehicles could be operated with a high degree of safety, reliability and precision. GEMINI also provided valuable experience in rendezvous and docking techniques -- skills that would be vital to astronauts returning from expeditions to the surface of the moon. As overall manager for Project GEMINI, NASA was understandably proud of its role in the highly successful effort, but the Air Force and its contractors planned, built and launched all the TITAN II space boosters associated with Project GEMINI. Unfortunately, this distinction was often overlooked by the public and the news media on launch day.²¹

TITAN II-GEMINI LAUNCH CREW LED BY LT. COLONEL ALBERT(CENTER) March 1964

COMPLEX 19 BLOCKHOUSE August 1963

GEMINI/TITAN II FIRST FLOOR BLOCKHOUSE COMPLEX 19

TEST CONDUCTOR CONSOLE BLOCKHOUSE 19 November 1961

MISSION TABLE SHOWING MANNED MISSION CREDITS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 1966

2ND UNMANNED GEMINI CAPSULE LAUNCH 19 January 1965

NASA GROUP ACHIEVEMENT AWARD PRESENTED TO GEMINI LAUNCH VEHICLE DIVISION

Left To Right: Mr. Westmoreland (Pan Am/RCA), Mr. Peer (General Electric), Mr. Barnes (Aerojet), Mr. Cauldwell (Burroughs), Major Henry (6555th), Mr. Cary (Martin), Colonel Ledford (6555th Commander), Colonel Warner (Patrick Test Site Office), Mr. Wiegard (Aerospace) And Lt. Colonel Albert (Gemini Launch Vehicle Division Chief).