View source for Gemini 6A

{{Short description|1965 manned United States spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name                  = Gemini VI-A
| image                 = Gemini 7 in orbit - GPN-2006-000035.jpg
| image_caption         = Gemini VI-A (foreground) and Gemini VII make the first rendezvous in orbit between two crewed spacecraft
| insignia              = Gemini 6A patch.png

| mission_type          = [[Space rendezvous]]
| operator              = [[NASA]] 
| COSPAR_ID             = 1965-104A 
| SATCAT                = 1839 
| mission_duration      = 1&nbsp;day, 1&nbsp;hour, 51&nbsp;minutes, 24&nbsp;seconds
| distance_travelled    = {{convert|694415|km|nmi|abbr=off|sp=us}}
| orbits_completed      = 16

| spacecraft            = [[Gemini (spacecraft)|Gemini]] SC6
| manufacturer          = [[McDonnell Aircraft|McDonnell]] 
| launch_mass           = {{convert|3546|kg|lb}}
| landing_mass          =

| launch_date           = {{start-date|December 15, 1965, 13:37:26|timezone=yes}}&nbsp;UTC 
| launch_rocket         = {{nowrap|[[Titan II GLV]],}} {{nowrap|s/n 62-12561}}
| launch_site           = [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Kennedy]] [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 19|LC-19]]

| landing_date          = {{end-date|December 16, 1965, 15:28:50|timezone=yes}}&nbsp;UTC
| landing_site          = North Atlantic Ocean<br/>{{coord|23|35|N|67|50|W}}
| recovery_by           = {{USS|Wasp|CV-18|6}}

| orbit_epoch           = December 15, 1965<ref name=satcat>{{cite web|last=McDowell|first=Jonathan|title=SATCAT|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt|publisher=Jonathan's Space Pages|access-date=March 23, 2014}}</ref>
| orbit_reference       = [[Geocentric orbit|Geocentric]]
| orbit_regime          = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis       = {{convert|270|km|nmi|abbr=off|sp=us}} 
| orbit_apoapsis        = {{convert|274|km|nmi|abbr=off|sp=us}} 
| orbit_inclination     = 28.9&nbsp;degrees
| orbit_period          = 89.95&nbsp;minutes
| apsis                 = gee

| crew_size             = 2
| crew_members          = {{Unbulleted list|[[Wally Schirra|Walter M. Schirra Jr.]]|[[Thomas P. Stafford]]}}
| crew_photo            = Gemini 6A (GTA-6) crew.png
| crew_photo_caption    = (L-R) Stafford, Schirra

| previous_mission      = [[Gemini 7]]
| next_mission          = [[Gemini 8]]
| programme             = [[Project Gemini]]
}}

'''Gemini 6A''' (officially '''Gemini VI-A''')<ref name="titans">{{cite book
 | last1 = Hacker
 | first1 = Barton C.
 | last2 = Grimwood
 | first2 = James M.
 | title = On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini
 | chapter = Chapter 11 Pillars of Confidence
 | chapter-url = http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/ch11-1.htm
 | publisher = NASA
 | series = NASA History Series
 | volume = SP-4203
 | date = September 1974
 | page = 239
 | url = http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm
 | access-date = 2013-09-26
 | archive-date = 2010-01-13
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100113132344/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm
 | url-status = dead
 }} With Gemini IV, NASA changed to Roman numerals for Gemini mission designations.</ref> was a 1965 crewed United States spaceflight in [[NASA]]'s [[Gemini program]]. 
The mission, flown by [[Wally Schirra]] and [[Thomas P. Stafford]], achieved the first crewed [[Space rendezvous|rendezvous]] with another spacecraft, its sister [[Gemini 7]].  Although the [[Soviet Union]] had twice previously launched simultaneous pairs of [[Vostok (spacecraft)|Vostok]] spacecraft, these established radio contact with each other, but they had no ability to adjust their orbits in order to rendezvous and came no closer than several kilometers of each other, while the Gemini 6 and 7 spacecraft came as close as one foot (30&nbsp;cm) and could have docked had they been so equipped.

Gemini 6A was the fifth crewed Gemini flight, the 13th crewed American flight, and the 21st crewed spaceflight of all time (including two [[X-15]] flights over {{convert|100|km|nmi|abbr=off|sp=us}}).

==Crew==
{{Spaceflight crew
|terminology       = Astronaut
|position1         = Command Pilot
|crew1_up          = [[Wally Schirra|Walter M. Schirra Jr.]]
|flights1_up       = Second
|position2         = Pilot
|crew2_up          = [[Thomas P. Stafford]]
|flights2_up       = First
}}

===Backup crew===
{{Spaceflight crew
|terminology       = Astronaut
|position1         = Command Pilot
|crew1_up          = [[Gus Grissom|Virgil I. Grissom]]<ref name="backup">{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1010.html|title=Gemini 6 Back-up Crew|date=March 23, 2008|access-date=January 6, 2018|publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|position2         = Pilot
|crew2_up          = [[John Young (astronaut)|John W. Young]]|notes=This was the prime crew of [[Gemini 3]].}}
===Support crew===
* [[Charles Bassett|Charles A. Bassett II]] (Houston CAPCOM)
* [[Alan Bean|Alan L. Bean]] (Cape CAPCOM)
* [[Eugene Cernan|Eugene A. Cernan]] (Houston CAPCOM)
* [[Elliot See|Elliot M. See Jr.]] (Houston CAPCOM)

==Mission parameters==
* '''[[Mass]]:''' {{convert|3546|kg}}
* '''[[Perigee]]:''' {{convert|161|km|abbr=off|sp=us}}
* '''[[Apogee]]:''' {{convert|259.4|km|abbr=off|sp=us}}
* '''[[Inclination]]:''' 28.97°
* '''[[Orbital period|Period]]:''' 88.7 min

===Stationkeeping with GT-7===
* '''Start:''' December 15, 1965 19:33 UTC
* '''End:''' December 16, 1965 00:52 UTC
* '''Duration:''' 5 hours, 19 minutes

==Objective==
[[File:Gemini VI Stafford capsule.jpg|thumb|left|Stafford and Schirra before the pre-launch countdown]]
[[File:Atlas-Agena 6 Launch.jpg|thumb|right|135px|The Atlas-Agena launches the Agena Target Vehicle for the intended Gemini 6 rendezvous mission, attempted October 25, 1965 but fails.]]
The original Gemini 6 mission, scheduled for launch on October 25, 1965, at 11:41 am EDT, had a planned mission duration of 46 hours 47 minutes, completing a total of 29 orbits. It was to land in the western Atlantic Ocean south of Bermuda.

The mission was to include four dockings with the [[Agena target vehicle|Agena Target Vehicle]]. The first docking was scheduled for five hours and forty minutes into the mission. The second was scheduled for seven hours and forty-five minutes, the third at nine hours and forty minutes, and the fourth and final docking at ten hours and five minutes into the mission. The final undocking would take place at 18 hours and 20 minutes into the mission. At 23 hours and 55 minutes into the mission, while the spacecraft passed over [[White Sands, New Mexico]], the crew was to attempt to observe a laser beam originating from the ground. The retrorockets were scheduled to be fired at 46 hours and 10 minutes into the mission over the Pacific Ocean on the 29th orbit.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 25, 1965 |title=Here Is The Condensed Flight Plan For Gemini 6 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FBVEAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zLAMAAAAIBAJ&dq=orbits%20gemini-6&pg=2041,1887474 |access-date= |work=Williamson Daily News |location=Williamson, WV}}</ref>

Original mission plans also included the first live television coverage of the recovery of a U.S. spacecraft at sea from the recovery ship, the U.S. aircraft carrier ''Wasp''. The ''Wasp'' was fitted with ground station equipment by [[ITT Inc.|ITT]] to relay live television, via the [[Intelsat I]] (nicknamed the "Early Bird") satellite.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 22, 1965 |title=Live TV From Wasp For Gemini-6 Flight |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7J1RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kWwDAAAAIBAJ&dq=carrier%20gemini-6&pg=5351,3817722 |access-date= |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette}}</ref>

===Original mission canceled===
On October 25, 1965, Schirra and Stafford boarded their Gemini 6 craft to prepare for launch. Fifteen minutes later, the uncrewed [[Atlas-Agena]] [[Agena target vehicle|target vehicle]] was launched. After a successful burn of the Atlas booster, the Agena's engine fired to separate it from the Atlas. But immediately after the Agena's engine fired at the six-minute mark in the flight, [[telemetry]] was lost. A catastrophic failure apparently caused the vehicle to explode, as [[Range safety|Range Safety]] was tracking multiple pieces of debris falling into the Atlantic Ocean. After 50 minutes, the Gemini launch was canceled.<ref name="astronautix">{{Cite web |title=Gemini 6 |url=http://www.astronautix.com/g/gemini6.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228022325/http://astronautix.com/g/gemini6.html |archive-date=2016-12-28 |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=www.astronautix.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1965-10-26 |title=Gemini 6 Space Shot Fails |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4uE9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=VUgMAAAAIBAJ&dq=gemini-6&pg=6642,4220986 |access-date= |website=The Glasgow Herald}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Gemini 6 Target Vehicle Info
|-
! scope="row" | Agena
| GATV-5002
|-
! scope="row" | Mass
| {{convert|3,261|kg}}, 7800&nbsp;lbs.
|-
! scope="row" | Launch site
| LC-14
|-
! scope="row" | Launch date
| October 25, 1965
|-
! scope="row" | Launch time
| 15:00:04 UTC
|-
! scope="row" | Exploded
| 15:06:20 UTC
|}

===Revised mission===
After reviewing the situation, NASA decided to launch an alternate ''Gemini 6A'' mission, eight days after the launch of [[Gemini 7]], which was scheduled as a 14-day long-duration mission in December. Gemini 6A would perform the first rendezvous of two spacecraft in orbit, using Gemini 7 as the target, though they would not dock. The crews also discussed the possibility of Stafford performing an EVA from 6A to 7, swapping places with Gemini 7 pilot [[Jim Lovell]], but the commander of Gemini 7, [[Frank Borman]], objected, pointing out that it would require Lovell to wear an uncomfortable EVA suit on a long-duration mission.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 29, 1965 |title=Toughest Space Assignment Yet By Gemini, They'll Try It Twice |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VpAUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-QQEAAAAIBAJ&dq=gemini-6&pg=2131,3114713 |access-date= |work=Ocala Star-Banner}}</ref>

==Flight==
{{more citations needed|section|date=December 2019}}
{{LaunchAttempt
| date1           = 1965-10-25 11:41
| result1         = Scrubbed
| reason1         = Technical
| decision_date1  = 1965-10-25 10:54
| notes1          = Failure of Atlas-Agena rocket to orbit.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Benedict |first=Howard |date=1965-10-25 |title=Space Flight Scrubbed As Agena Fails Orbit |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=9fRKRCJz75UC&dat=19651025&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=2024-12-03 |work=The Free Lance–Star |page=1 |volume=81 |issue=251}}</ref> Mission plans revised and designated as Gemini 6A.
| date2           = 1965-12-12 9:54
| result2         = Scrubbed
| reason2         = Technical
| decision_date2  = 1965-12-12 9:54
| decision_clock2 = +00:00:01
| notes2          = Both engines shut down after ignition due to an electrical plug falling out.
| date3           = 1965-12-15 8:37:26
| result3         = Success
}}

===First launch attempt===
[[File:Gemini 6 launch abort.jpg|thumb|left|The launch abort of Gemini 6A, attempted December 12, 1965]]

The first attempt to launch the 6A mission (second attempt for Gemini spacecraft No. 6) was on December 12, 1965, at 9:54&nbsp;a.m. EST.<ref name=astronautix/> All went well right up to ignition; the engines ignited, but after about 1.5 seconds they abruptly shut down. Since the lift-off clock had started in the spacecraft, mission rules dictated that Wally Schirra, as the commander, had to immediately pull the D-ring between his knees and activate the [[ejection seat]]s,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://space1.com/Spacecraft_Data/Handbook_Illustrations/Gemini_Spacecraft/Gemini_Ejection_Seat/gemini_ejection_seat.html|title=Gemini Ejection Seat|website=space1.com|access-date=2018-06-28}}</ref> carrying the astronauts away from the disaster that would be the result of a fully fueled Titan II falling back onto LC-19. However, Schirra did not feel any movement and knew that the booster had not lifted, so he decided not to abort. His quick thinking probably saved the mission as the reliability of the Gemini ejector seats was questionable; the astronauts could have been badly injured from high g-forces as the seats had to launch them at least 800 feet, which was deemed a safe distance from an exploding Titan II.

In addition, the cabin interior had been soaking in pure oxygen for hours. Tom Stafford, in a NASA oral history in 1997, later recalled:

{{Blockquote|text=So it turns out what we would have seen, had we had to do that, would have been two Roman candles going out, because we were 15 or 16 psi, pure oxygen, soaking in that for an hour and a half. You remember the [[Apollo 1|tragic fire]] we had at the Cape. (...) Jesus, with that fire going off and that, it would have burned the suits. Everything was soaked in oxygen. So thank God. That was another thing: NASA never tested it under the conditions that they would have had if they would have had to eject. They did have some tests at China Lake where they had a simulated mock-up of Gemini capsule, but what they did is fill it full of nitrogen. They didn't have it filled full of oxygen in the sled test they had.<ref>{{Cite interview |last=Stafford |first=Thomas P. |interviewer=William Vantine |title=Thomas P. Stafford Oral History |url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/StaffordTP/StaffordTP_10-15-97.htm |work=Johnson Space Center Oral History Project |date=October 15, 1997}}</ref>}}

Even if the astronauts had not been injured or killed, ejection would ruin the spacecraft and delay the mission for months.

After the Stage I engines ignited and shut down, fuel ([[UDMH]]) was leaking out of the [[Pressure safety valve|PSV]] drain valve. The fuel had been ignited by the engine start, and the resulting fire was discovered when the Pad Crew inspected the engine compartment. Water spray was initiated and a cap was installed on the drain line. About 60 minutes after the aborted launch, the booster and spacecraft had been made safe and the service tower raised up to it. After removing the propellants from the Titan II, the booster was checked out and they quickly uncovered one culprit, which was an umbilical plug that dropped out of the base of the booster prematurely. This plug sent a lift-off signal to the spacecraft. Testing revealed that some plugs came out more easily than others, so they were replaced by different ones that would stay in place properly.

However, the electrical plug turned out to not be the only problem with the booster. Examination of telemetry also showed that the Titan actually began experiencing thrust decay before the plug dropped out. Engine No. 1 was unaffected and nearly reached 100% thrust at shutdown, while Engine No. 2 never transitioned to in-flight performance levels. Engineers spent all night combing through the first stage, but failed to find any cause for the thrust decay. Eventually however, one technician identified the problem, which was a plastic dust cover inside the gas generator that had been carelessly left inside when the booster was assembled months earlier at the Martin-Marietta plant, blocking the flow of oxidizer. The cover was removed and the Titan II cleared for another launch attempt.

Had the inadvertent electrical disconnect not occurred, the abort sensing system would have sent a shutoff command to the Titan at T+2.2 seconds due to the loss of Engine No. 2 chamber pressure. Since launcher release and liftoff would take place at T+3.2 seconds, a pad fallback still would not have occurred in this scenario and the astronauts would have been safe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/46236174/Launch-Vehicle-No-6-Flight-Evaluationx|title = Launch Vehicle No. 6 Flight Evaluationx &#124; PDF &#124; Project Gemini &#124; Space Rendezvous}}</ref>

===Second attempt and rendezvous===
[[File:Gemini VI Launch - GPN-2000-000612.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Launch of Gemini 6A from Pad 19, December 15, 1965.]]
The Titan's batteries were replaced and the fuel prevalves, which had opened, were removed and it was decided to launch without them. The second attempt to launch the 6A mission (third attempt for Gemini spacecraft No. 6) was successful on December 15 at 8:37:26&nbsp;a.m. EST. All went well through launch and ascent; first stage cutoff occurred at T+160 seconds and second stage cutoff at T+341 seconds. Spacecraft separation occurred at T+361 seconds and the crew entered a {{convert|100|by|161|mi|km|adj=on|sp=us}} orbit.

The plan called for the rendezvous to take place on the fourth orbit of Gemini 6. Their first burn came 94 minutes after launch when they increased their speed by 5 meters (16{{frac|1|2}} feet) per second. Due to their lower orbit they were gaining on Gemini 7 and were only 730 miles, (or 1,175 kilometers), behind. The next burn was at two hours and eighteen minutes when Gemini 6A made a phase adjustment to put them on the same [[orbital inclination]] as Gemini 7. They now only trailed by {{convert|483|km|mi|sp=us|order=flip}}.

The radar on Gemini 6A first made contact with Gemini 7 at three hours and fifteen minutes when they were {{convert|434|km|mi|sp=us}} away. A third burn put them into a {{convert|168|by|170|mi|km|adj=on}} orbit. As they slowly gained, Schirra put Gemini 6A's computer in charge of the rendezvous. At five hours and four minutes, he saw a bright star that he thought was Sirius, but this was in fact Gemini 7.

[[Image:S65-63221 - Gemini 6 Views Gemini 7 (Retouched).jpg|thumb|300px|The crew of Gemini 6A took this photo of Gemini 7 when they were about 7 meters apart]]
After several more burns, the two spacecraft were only 130 feet (40 meters) apart. The burns had only used 112&nbsp;lbs. (51 kilograms) of propellant on Gemini 6A, leaving plenty for some fly-arounds. During the next 270 minutes, the crews moved as close as one foot (30 centimeters), talking over the radio. At one stage the spacecraft were stationkeeping so well that neither crew had to make any burns for 20 minutes.

Schirra said that because there is no turbulence in space, "I was amazed at my ability to maneuver. I did a fly-around inspection of Gemini 7, literally flying rings around it, and I could move to within inches of it in perfect confidence".<ref name="agle199809">{{Cite magazine |last=Agle |first=D. C. |date=September 1998 |title=Flying the Gusmobile |url=https://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/flying-the-gusmobile-218187/?all |magazine=Air & Space |language=en}}</ref> As the crew sleep periods approached, Gemini 6A made a separation burn and slowly drifted more than {{convert|30|km|mi|sp=us}} from Gemini 7. This ensured that there would not be any accidental collisions while the astronauts slept.<ref name="worldcat.org">{{Cite book|title=The history of crewed space flight|author=Baker, David|isbn=051754377X|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=7552360|year=1982|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmanneds0000bake_d7k6 |publisher=Crown Publishers}}</ref>

===A Christmas surprise===
{{See also|Music in space}}
The next day, before reentry,<ref name="worldcat.org"/> the crew of Gemini 6A had a surprise:

{{Blockquote|...this is Gemini VI. We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, up in a polar orbit. He's in a very low trajectory traveling from north to south and has a very high climbing ratio. It looks like it might even be a ... Very low. Looks like he might be going to reenter soon. Stand by one ... You might just let me try to pick up that thing.<ref>{{cite web | title = Gemini VI Voice Communications | publisher = NASA | url = https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/mission_trans/GT06_TEC.PDF |at=p. 116, timestamp 23:57:30 }}</ref>|sign=|source=}}{{Listen
| type         = speech
| filename     = Gemini VI Jingle Bells.ogg
| title        = Radio transmission
| description  = Between Gemini VI, Gemini VII and Mission Control in Houston, December 16, 1965
}}

At that point, the sound of "[[Jingle Bells]]" was heard played on an eight-note [[Hohner]] "Little Lady" [[harmonica]] and a handful of small bells.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 17, 1965 |title=NASA Mum on 'Jingling' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/134928871/ |access-date=April 1, 2023 |website=The Palm Beach Post |via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|id=HqfIEQKnkJU|title=The Song from Outer Space}}</ref> The [[Smithsonian Institution]] claims these were the first musical instruments played in space<ref>Smithsonian magazine, December 2005</ref> and keeps the instruments on display.

===Reentry===
[[File:Schirra, Stafford and Gemini on Deck - GPN-2000-001412.jpg|thumb|upright|Schirra prepares to climb out of the capsule, on deck of the recovery ship]]
Gemini 6A fired its retro-rockets and landed within {{convert|18|km|abbr=off|sp=us}} of the planned site in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of [[Turks and Caicos]]. It was the first recovery to be televised live, through a transportable satellite earth station developed by [[ITT Corporation|ITT]] on the deck of the recovery aircraft carrier [[USS Wasp (CV-18)|USS ''Wasp'']].

The Gemini 7 and 6A missions were supported by the following U.S. Department of Defense resources: 10,125 personnel, 125 aircraft and 16 ships.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

==Insignia==
[[File:Ge06Patch emb.png|thumb|left|Original mission patch, showing the designation GTA-6]]

Walter Schirra explained the patch in the book ''All We Did Was Fly to the Moon'':
{{Blockquote|The Gemini 6 patch is hexagonal in shape, reflecting the mission number; and the spacecraft trajectory also traces out the number "6". The Gemini 6 spacecraft is shown superimposed on the "twin stars" Castor and Pollux, for "Gemini".

I designed the patch to locate in the sixth hour of celestial right ascension. This was the predicted celestial area where the rendezvous should occur (in the constellation Orion). It finally did occur there.}}
[[File:Gemini 6A Flown Silver-Colored Fliteline Medallion.jpg|thumb|left|Gemini 6A space-flown [[NASA space-flown Robbins medallions of the Apollo missions#Gemini mission space-flown Fliteline medallions|Fliteline Medallion]]]]
The original patch had called the flight GTA-6 (for Gemini-Titan-Agena) and showed the Gemini craft chasing an Agena. It was changed when the mission was altered to depict two Gemini spacecraft.
{{clear}}

==Spacecraft location==
[[File:Stafford Air & Space Museum, Weatherford, OK, US (106).jpg|right|thumb|Gemini 6A at the [[Stafford Air & Space Museum]]]]
The spacecraft is currently on display at the [[Stafford Air & Space Museum]] in [[Weatherford, Oklahoma]], having previously been displayed at the [[Oklahoma History Center]] in [[Oklahoma City]].<ref name="stafford_museum_move">{{cite web
  | last = Pearlman
  | first = Robert
  | title = Museum Move Reunites Historic Gemini 6 Spacecraft with its Pilot
  | publisher = Space.com
  | date = July 31, 2018
  | url = https://www.space.com/41334-gemini-6-capsule-stafford-museum.html
  | access-date = July 31, 2018  }}</ref> The spacecraft had previously been on display at the [[Omniplex Science Museum]] elsewhere in the city. It is on a long-term loan from the [[Smithsonian Institution]].

Before being moved to Oklahoma, the spacecraft was displayed at the [[St. Louis Science Center]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri]].{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [[Splashdown (spacecraft landing)]]

==References==
{{Include-NASA}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gemini 6}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090621231313/https://mira.hq.nasa.gov/history/ws/hdmshrc/all/main/DDD/25013.PDF NASA Gemini 6 press kit for cancelled mission - Oct 20, 1965]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090621232111/https://mira.hq.nasa.gov/history/ws/hdmshrc/all/main/DDD/25014.PDF NASA Gemini 7/Gemini 6 press kit - Nov 29, 1965]
* [https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19790076749_1979076749.pdf Gemini 6 Mission Report (PDF) - October 1965 cancelled mission]
* [https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19750069069_1975069069.pdf Gemini 6/Agena target vehicle 5002 systems test evaluation (PDF) December 1965]
*{{Internet Archive short film | proud_conquest_gemini_vi_vii | Proud Conquest : Gemini VI and VII}}
*[http://www.genedorr.com/patches/Intro.html Spaceflight Mission Patches]
*http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-092703a.html
*{{British pathe|id=41116|v=PVisnTO7zg0|d=Color newsreel footage documenting the cancelled mission of October 1965|year=1965}}

{{Gemini program}}
{{NASA space program}}
{{Orbital launches in 1965}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gemini 06a}}
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1965]]
[[Category:1965 in the United States]]
[[Category:Project Gemini missions]]
[[Category:Human spaceflights]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched by Titan rockets]]
[[Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 1965]]
[[Category:December 1965]]
[[Category:Wally Schirra]]
[[Category:Thomas P. Stafford]]
[[Category:Music in space]]
[[Category:Successful space missions]]