Gemini 9A splashdown, Gene Cernan and Thomas Stafford, June 6, 1966 by Dan Beaumont Space Museum Via Flickr: WIKIPEDIA: Reentry: Gemini 9 splashes down at 9:00 A.M., June 6, 1966. The day of the EVA was also their last in space. On their 45th revolution of the Earth, the crewmen fired the retrofire rockets that slowed them down so that they would reenter. This time the computer worked perfectly, meaning they landed only 700 meters from the planned landing site and were close enough to see the prime recovery ship, USS Wasp. The splashdown happened closer to the recovery ship than any other manned spacecraft.[citation needed] After the mission it was decided to set up a Mission Review committee to make sure that the objectives planned for each mission were realistic and that they had a direct benefit for Apollo. The Gemini 9A mission was supported by the following U.S. Department of Defense resources: 11,301 personnel, 92 aircraft and 15 ships. Mission info: Mission statistics Mission nameGemini 9A Spacecraft nameGemini 9 Spacecraft mass3,750 kilograms (8,300 lb) Crew size2 Call signGemini 9 Launch vehicleTitan II #62-12564 Launch padLC-19 (Cape Kennedy AFS) Launch dateJune 3, 1966, 13:39:33 UTC LandingJune 6, 1966, 14:00:23 UTC 27°52′N 75°0.4′W Mission duration3d/00:20:50 Number of orbits47. 4x5 TRANSPARENCY NASA PHOTO, 66-HC-350, US GOVERNMENT PUBLICATION, ACQUISITION: NASA HEADQUATERS, Washington D.C., July 5, 1976. SCAN AND REMASTERED by Dan Beaumont
