[FPSPACE] Gemini-B Reentry Speed?

[John Charles]

On Sat, Mar 1, 2008 at 2:04 PM, Jonathan McDowell
<jcm at head.cfa.harvard.edu> wrote:
>
> Gemini B was released from the MOL canister at 166 km altitude
> at 7.82 km/s velocity... I estimate an orbit of around -200 x 600 km.
> As far as I can tell the Gemini retros themselves (in the retro module
> around the Gemini-to-MOL tunnel) were not fired, but I could be wrong
> about that.

I was looking through late 1966 issues of Aviation Week for more
details, and it is not stated explicitly but the Gemini-B does not
seem to have carried retros; the stack was apparently maneuvered
entirely by the Martin Co.'s Transtage.

It was striking how little coverage that Gemini-B/Titan-IIIC launch
got.  Just one story, no pictures.  Interestingly, several small
blurbs during that era discussed how the DoD was actively dissociating
the launch from the MOL program, saying that the other payloads on
that launch were not connected to MOL, and that the configuration
launched did not accurately reflect the planned MOL dimensions, etc.
There was also a lot of disagreement within the DoD, and between the
DoD and the State Department, about how to refer to the MOL project
publicly--if at all--with State needing to review every announcement
for its potential international impact.  Also, the press was pointing
out every budget cut and launch delay.

John Charles
Houston, Texas