| THE GEMINI PROGRAM | ||
Until Gemini, American spacecraft could only perform simple rotation maneuvers, such as yawing, pitching, and rolling. But a new Orbital Attitude Maneuvering System (OAMS) now made directional maneuvers possible. During the first Gemini flight, Grissom fired his thrusters and was able to change altitude, change orbital inclination, and also put the spacecraft into a “fail safe” return trajectory that would ensure the vehicle’s return to the Earth’s surface even if the retro-rockets should fail. With this flight, Grissom also became the first person to return to space for a second mission. |
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