Manned Space Flight, USA, Mercury/Gemini Gemini 6 astronaut Thomas Stafford, 1965

Manned Space Flight, USA, Mercury/Gemini Gemini 6 astronaut Thomas Stafford, 1965. Stafford is in his space suit with the mission logo. The Gemini programme, which commenced in 1962, was NASAÕs second manned spaceflight initiative. It aimed to build on the existing Mercury programme by developing a spacecraft with a two-man crew. Gemini 6, with astronauts Stafford and Walter Schirra on board, was launched on 15th December 1965. It was the fifth mission in the programme and achieved the first successful rendezvous with another orbiting spacecraft, Gemini 7, manoeuvring to within two metres of the other craft. Stafford also flew on Gemini 9 in June 1966, Apollo 10 in May 1969 and the joint American/Soviet Apollo/Soyuz mission in 1975. ©SSPL/NASA