Spaceshots and Snapshots of Projects Mercury and Gemini : A Rare Photographic History

Mercury-Redstone 3 -- Mercury-Redstone 4 -- Mercury-Atlas 6 -- Mercury-Atlas 7 -- Mercury-Atlas 8 -- Mercury-Atlas 9 -- Gemini 3 -- Gemini IV -- Gemini V -- Gemini VII and Gemini VI-A -- Gemini VIII -- Gemini IX-A -- Gemini X -- Gemini XI -- Gemini XII;The race to space between the US and the Soviet Union captured the popular imagination. This book tells the story of the people and events of Projects Mercury and Gemini with hundreds of unpublished and rare photographs. Unlike other publications, which illustrate the space race with well-known and easily accessible images, this history draws from the authors' private library of over one hundred thousand high-quality photos of the early US manned-space programme The race to space between the United States and the Soviet Union captured the popular imagination. On April 12, 1961, the USSR launched cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on a one-orbit flight, making him the first human in space. Three weeks later, American astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. flew 116 miles above Earth before splashing down in the Bahamas. Over the next twenty years astronauts emerged as national heroes. This book tells the story of the people and events of Projects Mercury and Gemini with hundreds of unpublished and rare photographs--both color and black-and-white. Unlike other publications, which illustrate the space race with well-known and easily accessible images, this history draws from the authors' private library of over one hundred thousand (and growing) high-quality photos of the early U.S. manned-space program. Collected over a lifetime from public and private sources--including NASA archives, fellow collectors, retired NASA and news photographers, and auction houses--the images document American space missions of the Cold War era more comprehensively than ever before. Devoting a chapter to each flight, the authors also include detailed descriptions, providing new insight into one of America's greatest triumphs. The race to space between the United States and the Soviet Union captured the popular imagination. On April 12, 1961, the USSR launched cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on a one-orbit flight, making him the first human in space. Three weeks later, American astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. flew 116 miles above Earth before splashing down in the Bahamas. Over the next twenty years astronauts emerged as national heroes. This book tells the story of the people and events of Projects Mercury and Gemini with hundreds of unpublished and rare photographs-both color and black-and-white. Unlike other publications, which illustrate the space race with well-known and easily accessible images, this history draws from the authors' private library of over one hundred thousand (and growing) high-quality photos of the early US manned space program. Collected over a lifetime from public and private sources-including NASA archives, fellow collectors, retired NASA and news photographers, and auction houses-the images document American space missions of the Cold War era more comprehensively than ever before. Devoting a chapter to each flight, the authors also include detailed descriptions, providing new insight into one of America's greatest triumphs Front Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Foreword 8 Preface 10 Acknowledgments: The People in Our Grandstand 12 Introduction 16 1: Mercury-Redstone 3: May 5, 1961 22 2: Mercury-Redstone 4: July 21, 1961 36 3: Mercury-Atlas 6: February 20, 1962 46 4: Mercury-Atlas 7: May 24, 1962 62 5: Mercury-Atlas 8: October 3, 1962 76 6: Mercury-Atlas 9: May 15–16, 1963 90 7: Gemini 3: March 23, 1965 104 8: Gemini IV: June 3–7, 1965 116 9: Gemini V: August 21–29, 1965 128 10: Gemini VII and Gemini VI-A: December 4–18, 1965 / December 15–16, 1965 140 11: Gemini VIII: March 16, 1966 156 12: Gemini IX-A: June 3–6, 1966 168 13: Gemini X: July 18–21, 1966 180 14: Gemini XI: September 12–15, 1966 194 15: Gemini XII: November 11–15, 1966 206 Abbreviations 218 Bibliography 220 The Photographers 222 Back Cover 225