Gemini 3 in Photos: The 1st Crewed Flight of NASA's 2-Person Spaceship

Keeping Watch

At Mission Control in Houston, TX, Flight director John D. Hedge (left), chief, Flight Control Division; Glynn S. Lunney (standing left), chief, Flight Dynamics Branch, Flight Control Division; and James W. Beach, assistant flight director for Gemini-Titan 3, discuss the progress of the first manned Gemini mission.

Astronaut Aiding Astronauts

At a Mission Control Center console, astronaut Roger B. Chaffee mans the computers during the Gemini 3 mission.

The Heart of the Mission

At the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, TX, Mission Control keeps a close watch on the Gemini 3 mission.

Ready for Launch

Through the open hatch on Young's side of the Gemini 3 spacecraft, astronauts John W. Young and Virgil I. Grissom are visible strapped into the module, ready for their mission to begin.

Northern Mexico

During the three-orbit, Gemini 3 mission in the "Molly Brown" spacecraft, astronaut John W. Young captured this image of the Sonoran Desert in Northern Mexico with a 70mm Hasselblad camera with color film. The Colorado River snakes across the image from upper right to lower left.

Microscopic Effects of Microgravity

Aboard the Gemini 3 flight, astronauts will complete experiments exploring how weightlessness effects cell division. Using cells (in the upper right and lower left) from the spiny black sea urchin (seen in the upper left quadrant) as well as from the sand dollar (in the lower right) scientists will investigate any effects of cell division on cell division. Results from the experiment may have ramifications on future prolonged periods of space flight.

Earthly Cloud Cover

From the Gemini 3 spacecraft, astronauts captured images of a cloudy Earth.

Step by Step

For the cell division experiment, this diagram explains the process for astronauts to follow to complete the experiment.

The Indian Ocean

From orbit around the Earth, astronaut John W. Young, using a 70mm Hasselblad camera with color film, captured this image of clouds over the Indian Ocean.

Gently Floating and Falling

Backup crew command pilot for the Gemini-Titan 3 mission, astronaut Walter M. Schirra, Jr., participates in a water egress para-drop training event in Galveston Bay.