On March 31, 1962, NASA approved the design of the new Gemini spacecraft.
This small capsule could carry two astronauts into space at a time. NASA created the Gemini program to help the U.S. get ready for the Apollo missions that would later send astronauts to the moon. The Gemini spacecraft was designed by the Canadian engineer Jim Chamberlin and built by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation.
The design was pretty much a bigger version of the capsules NASA used for Project Mercury. Each capsule was shaped like a bell and measured about 19 feet long and 10 feet wide. Over the course of 10 missions, 16 astronauts flew to space in these cramped capsules.
Project Gemini: NASA's 2-Person Space Missions in Pictures
How NASA's Gemini Spacecraft Worked (Infographic)
Gemini 3 in Photos: The 1st Crewed Flight of NASA's 2-Person Spaceship
In Photos: Gemini 7 Makes 1st Crewed Rendezvous with Gemini 6A
Gemini 9: NASA's Troubled Rendezvous Mission in Photos
Gemini 10: NASA's Epic 1st Double Rendezvous Mission in Photos
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Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
