Gemini Program

Definition

The Gemini Program was NASA's second human spaceflight program that ran from 1961 to 1966. Its main objectives were developing techniques for advanced space travel such as long-duration flights and docking spacecrafts together in orbit.

Analogy

If we continue our video game analogy, think of Gemini as an intermediate level where you start using advanced skills learned from previous levels (Project Mercury) but also prepare yourself for even tougher challenges ahead (Project Apollo).

Related terms

Extravehicular Activity (EVA): Also known as "spacewalks," these are activities done by an astronaut outside a spacecraft beyond Earth’s appreciable atmosphere - something practiced during Gemini missions.

Orbit Rendezvous: This is when two spacecraft meet up while in orbit around a body like Earth or Moon - another technique honed during Gemini missions.

Spacecraft Docking: The joining of two separate spacecraft in space, a key objective of the Gemini Program.