Re: Agena target vehicle

Soren Kuula wrote: 
Hi, can someone enlighten me on Gemimi/Agena?

The Agena was on some occasions used for boosting an attached Gemini into a higher orbit, right? I didn't find any good diagram of the Agena, but it seems to me that the docking port was in one end, and the rocket engine in the other?

Does that mean that the Gemini was accelerated "backwards" during Agena burn? I guess the Gemini must have attached nose-first to the end of the
Agena that was opposite the rocket :) :) I say "backwards" because of things were the way I imagine, the acceleration force on the Gemini must have been in the opposite direction of what it was during launch and reentry? 

Absolutely correct.  For a photograph of the burn as seen by the crew,
and a brief description ("Because the Gemini and Agena docked nose to
nose, the forces experienced were eyeballs out as opposed to eyeballs in
for a launch from Earth."), see http://www.answers.com/topic/gemini-10 .

--
Dave Michelson
davem@xxxxxxxxxx
.

Relevant Pages

  • Recently released NASA space PDF files - March - May 2005
    ... GEMINI PROGRAM MISSION REPORT, GEMINI 10 ... EXECUTIVE SUMMARY; SPACE SHUTTLE AGENA ... POSTLAUNCH REPORT FOR MERCURY-ATLAS NO. 1 ... LITTLE JOE II PROGRAM - MONTE CARLO STUDY OF MOTOR PERFORMANCE ...
    (sci.space.history)
  • Re: Agena target vehicle (Agena-D)
    ... > a higher orbit, right? ... I didn't find any good diagram of the Agena, ... The Agena "D" model was lauched by an Atlas booster for the Gemini program. ... the Gemini flew backwards! ...
    (sci.space.history)
  • Re: Agena target vehicle
    ... >The Agena was on some occasions used for boosting an attached Gemini ... >into a higher orbit, right? ... I didn't find any good diagram of the Agena, ... >things were the way I imagine, the acceleration force on the Gemini must ...
    (sci.space.history)
  • Re: Armstrong Biography by James R. Hansen
    ... considering the positionings of the ... > thrusters on both the Agena and the Gemini, ... had the cold gas thrusters used for attitude control. ...
    (sci.space.history)
  • Re: Agena target vehicle
    ... and a brief description ("Because the Gemini and Agena docked nose to nose, the forces experienced were eyeballs out as opposed to eyeballs in for a launch from Earth."), see http://www.answers.com/topic/gemini-10. ... And McDonnell saw possibilities in that arrangement, using either a Centaur or multiple Titan III transtages docked to the Gemini in the same way to send it on a lunar trajectory: http://www.astronautix.com/articles/bygemoon.htm ...
    (sci.space.history)