We Choose to go to the Moon: The Story of the Gemini and Apollo Programs

[Kerbalsaurus]

SEPTEMBER 12, 1962 - WE CHOOSE TO GO TO THE MOON

"We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too"

President John F. Kennedy at Rice Field

Yes, it was true. On that day, President John F. Kennedy committed to a goal perhaps more ambitious than any in Human history: land a Man on the Moon before 1970. Easy enough, right? Well, at this time, America's space program, NASA, was struggling. Going on at this time was the Cold War, an arms race between the United States and Soviet Union. One of the fronts of the Cold War was the Space Race, where both superpowers were establishing their superiority in the skies above. The Soviets had first placed Sputnik 1 in orbit on October 4^th, 1957. Later, they put the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, aboard Vostok 1 on April 12^th, 1961. This was just two weeks before Alan Shepard became the first American in space aboard the Freedom 7 mission.

Yes, NASA was indeed in a vulnerable area. And their constant failure to be first made Congress question the whole need for NASA. But Kennedy's Moon speech reinvigorated hope in the Space Program. However, America was not in the best of positions for this goal right now. The Vietnam war is ever intensifying, and President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas just over a year later. NASA isn't the main worry of Congress right now. But the program carries on, and created is the Gemini program. The Gemini Program is a program of multicrew missions, designed to practice the maneuvers need for future missions to the Moon.

It's the most advanced Spacecraft ever designed. _{What about Voskhod?} ADVANCED. Gemini will hopefully give America a much needed lead over the Soviets. The Space Race is now in full swing.

***

Wha? What's with this guy? ANOTHER mission report? Yes, this another mission report done by the Stupendous Kerbalsaurus. Now, compared to my other other mission reports, this one will be very sporadic with updates. This isn't an alternate history, this is telling of the story of both space programs through KSP. Which means each post will have lots of research into its mission put behind it. Also, I've given myself the challenge of making each spacecraft without BDB. I like doing the work behind making replicas. The end result is much more rewarding in the end. Also, using the advice of the Terrific @Toaster355, I'll make this thread look more cinematic compared to my other threads. So, see you in the next post with the flight of Gemini 1!

Edited October 29, 2023 by Kerbalsaurus

[Kerbalsaurus]

APRIL 8, 1964 - GEMINI 1

OVERVIEW

Mission Objective: Test the Gemini Spacecraft

Mission Destination: Low Earth Orbit

Crew: None

Gemini 1 will be the very first flight of the Gemini spacecraft. The goal of this flight is to thoroughly test out the Gemini spacecraft and modified Titan II. Ya know, a test flight. The mission will be uncrewed, and is not meant to be recovered. The battery aboard the spacecraft is only built to last about three orbits. After that, the spacecraft will go dead, and tracking stations on Earth will track it until orbital decay eventually causes it to fall back to Earth. And too ensure that the Soviets don't capture debris for their own space doings, the heat shield has had holes drilled into it. The spacecraft will burn up without a trace.

The rocket itself is a modified Titan II ICBM, called the Titan II GLV. It's capable of lifting 3,580kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and instead of a nuclear bomb, it will be lobbing the Gemini spacecraft into LEO. If all goes well this flight, it will become a human rated spacecraft. At exactly 11:00pm EST, the Titan booster fired it's LR87-AJ-7 engines, carrying up the Gemini spacecraft on it's first flight!

Gemini 1 continues higher into the sky.

Stage 2 separation! The Gemini spacecraft makes its way to orbit, and the Titan II rocket performs flawlessly.

And engine cutoff! Gemini 1 enters a 155km x 271km orbit of the Earth! There, it begins sending back data to ground teams about its current state. The integrity of the spacecraft remains intact, and the perfect performance of the booster marks Gemini and the Titan II as completely reliable vehicles.

The spacecraft lasts its advertised lifetime, and then falls silent. The spacecraft and second stage went under continued tracking, and after 64 orbits, on April 12^th, 1964, the spacecraft burns up on re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. The mission was more than NASA could've ever hoped for! The Gemini program will see one more test flight, before being given the go ahead for its first crewed mission.

Edited October 31, 2023 by Kerbalsaurus

[Toaster355]

On 10/28/2023 at 7:38 PM, Kerbalsaurus said:

SEPTEMBER 12, 1962 - WE CHOOSE TO GO TO THE MOON

"We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too"

President John F. Kennedy at Rice Field

Yes, it was true. On that day, President John F. Kennedy committed to a goal perhaps more ambitious than any in Human history: land a Man on the Moon before 1970. Easy enough, right? Well, at this time, America's space program, NASA, was struggling. Going on at this time was the Cold War, an arms race between the United States and Soviet Union. One of the fronts of the Cold War was the Space Race, where both superpowers were establishing their superiority in the skies above. The Soviets had first placed Sputnik 1 in orbit on October 4^th, 1957. Later, they put the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, aboard Vostok 1 on April 12^th, 1961. This was just two weeks before Alan Shepard became the first American in space aboard the Freedom 7 mission.

Yes, NASA was indeed in a vulnerable area. And their constant failure to be first made Congress question the whole need for NASA. But Kennedy's Moon speech reinvigorated hope in the Space Program. However, America was not in the best of positions for this goal right now. The Vietnam war is ever intensifying, and President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas just over a year later. NASA isn't the main worry of Congress right now. But the program carries on, and created is the Gemini program. The Gemini Program is a program of multicrew missions, designed to practice the maneuvers need for future missions to the Moon.

It's the most advanced Spacecraft ever designed. _{What about Voskhod?} ADVANCED. Gemini will hopefully give America a much needed lead over the Soviets. The Space Race is now in full swing.

***

Wha? What's with this guy? ANOTHER mission report? Yes, this another mission report done by the Stupendous Kerbalsaurus. Now, compared to my other other mission reports, this one will be very sporadic with updates. This isn't an alternate history, this is telling of the story of both space programs through KSP. Which means each post will have lots of research into its mission put behind it. Also, I've given myself the challenge of making each spacecraft without BDB. I like doing the work behind making replicas. The end result is much more rewarding in the end. Also, using the advice of the Terrific @Toaster355, I'll make this thread look more cinematic compared to my other threads. So, see you in the next post with the flight of Gemini 1!

 

2 hours ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

APRIL 8, 1964 - GEMINI 1

OVERVIEW

Mission Destination: Low Earth Orbit

Crew: None

Mission Objective: Test the Gemini Spacecraft

Gemini 1 will be the very first flight of the Gemini spacecraft. The goal of this flight is to thoroughly test out the Gemini spacecraft and modified Titan II. Ya know, a test flight. The mission will be uncrewed, and is not meant to be recovered. The battery aboard the spacecraft is only built to last about three orbits. After that, the spacecraft will go dead, and tracking stations on Earth will track it until orbital decay eventually causes it to fall back to Earth. And too ensure that the Soviets don't capture debris for their own space doings, the heat shield has had holes drilled into it. The spacecraft will burn up without a trace.

The rocket itself is a modified Titan II ICBM, called the Titan II GLV. It's capable of lifting 3,580kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and instead of a nuclear bomb, it will be lobbing the Gemini spacecraft into LEO. If all goes well this flight, it will become a human rated spacecraft. At exactly 11:00pm EST, the Titan booster fired it's LR87-AJ-7 engines, carrying up the Gemini spacecraft on it's first flight!

Gemini 1 continues higher into the sky.

Stage 2 separation! The Gemini spacecraft makes its way to orbit, and the Titan II rocket performs flawlessly.

And engine cutoff! Gemini 1 enters a 155km x 271km orbit of the Earth! There, it begins sending back data to ground teams about its current state. The integrity of the spacecraft remains intact, and the perfect performance of the booster marks Gemini and the Titan II as completely reliable vehicles.

The spacecraft lasts its advertised lifetime, and then falls silent. The spacecraft and second stage went under continued tracking, and after 64 orbits, on April 12^th, 1964, the spacecraft burns up on re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. The mission was more than NASA could've ever hoped for! The Gemini program will see one more test flight, before being given the go ahead for its first crewed mission.

Niceee!!! I'm very proud of you, these look fantastic! Thanks for listening 

And yes, I know I've been dead for a couple weeks but I promise, PROMISE I will finish the next flight tomorrow. It will maybe be out on the forums tomorrow too, and if it isn't, than I'm extremely confident it will be out on Tuesday. And if not, worse case scenario, Wednesday.

Keep it up mate! 

Edited October 30, 2023 by Toaster355

[Kerbalsaurus]

8 hours ago, Toaster355 said:

Niceee!!! I'm very proud of you, these look fantastic! Thanks for listening 

And yes, I know I've been dead for a couple weeks but I promise, PROMISE I will finish the next flight tomorrow. It will maybe be out on the forums tomorrow too, and if it isn't, than I'm extremely confident it will be out on Tuesday. And if not, worse case scenario, Wednesday.

Keep it up mate! 

Thank you! And I can’t wait for the next Jupiter DIRECT mission!

[Kerbalsaurus]

I will update this soon. I have completed Gemini 2, but the forums deleted everything I've written so far.

[Toaster355]

3 hours ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

I will update this soon. I have completed Gemini 2, but the forums deleted everything I've written so far.

Sweet, excited for the nest mission!

NOOOOOOO
I'm so sorry, writing out missions like that is so painfully long

I like the festive PFP though