Len Lanetti
Cleared for Takeoff
American Floats In Space For 20 Minutes As He And Partner Start 4 Days In Orbit; Fuel Shortage Bars Booster Rendezvous
[size=+1]Jokes In The Void [/size]
Talk of 2 Astronauts Is Heard by Millions on Radio and TV
<H5>By WALTER SULLIVAN
Special to The New York Times
</H5>
ape Kennedy, Friday, June 4--For 20 minutes yesterday afternoon Maj. Edward H. White 2d of the Air Force was a human satellite of the earth as he floated across North America from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
Tethered to the Gemini 4 spacecraft, he chatted good-humoredly and snapped pictures as he darted about in raw space with a the aid of a gas-firing jet gun. Asked how he was doing by Maj. James A. McDivitt of the Air Force, the spaceship commander, Major White replied to his partner in the capsule:
"I'm doing great. This is fun."
When he was told to re-enter the capsule, Major White laughed and said: "I'm not coming in." But later, after more banter, he followed through on orders to return.
Both in 'Great Shape'
At 3 A.M., Eastern daylight time, the spaceship was in its 11th orbit and the astronauts reported that they were in "real great shape." They spent the night taking turns napping and checking radiation levels both in the spacecraft and on its outside surface. The space control center at Houston cut off voice contact with them for more than an hour at a time in order not to disturb them.
Major White's floating venture came after earlier difficulties had forced cancellation of the plan for two close approaches by the spacecraft to the final stage of the rocket that had placed the capsule in orbit.
Attempts to draw near to the rocket during the first orbit had expended roughly half the fuel allocated to such maneuvering. It appeared that the reason for this high fuel consumption would not be known until after analysis of the flight records following the four-day mission.
The mastery of rendezvous techniques is the central goal of the Gemini program, since such operations are essential for landing men on the moon and bringing them home again.
62 Orbits Scheduled
If the two-man vehicle files its 62 scheduled orbits it should come down about 10 A.M. Monday.
Unlike the Soviet cosmonaut, Lieut. Col. Aleksei A. Leonov, who ventured outside his spaceship in March, Major White apparently suffered no disorientation. During his period in space he pushed himself to various sides of the Gemini craft with his jet gun.
The vehicle's radio circuit was open so that his colleagues on earth could hear the talk between him and Major McDivitt.
Major Divitt, operating a camera from inside the vehicle, called to his free-floating companion outside:
"Get out in front where I can see you again!"
Major White explained that he could see the California coast. Then he came close enough to brush the ship commander's window.
"You smeared up my windshield, you dirty dog!" called Major McDivitt. His voice traveled by wire to the helmet of his floating companion over the 25-foot tether and also to earth by radio.
The launching from Cape Kennedy had been delayed an hour and a quarter by an electrical failure in the "overspeed regulator" of the erector. The erector is a 130-ton tower, hinged to the launch pad, that pushed the Titan 2 launching missile to an upright position. It then is lowered to lie flat on the ground during launching.
The overspeed regulator is supposed to keep the erector from dropping too fast. But yesterday for an hour and a quarter, it kept it from lowering at all.
The launching, at 11:16 A.M., went off smoothly. Over the Atlantic the final stage of the booster rocket was separated from the spacecraft.
The plan was for Major McDivitt to use the craft's Orbit Attitude and Maneuvering System to keep it close to the booster until Major White's exit into space.
Soon after entry into orbit Major McDivitt reported that he was only 500 feet from the booster. But for some reason, during the first orbit, his attempt to maneuver close to the booster burned up about half of the liquid rocket fuel allocated for the experiment.
Over the Pacific Major McDivitt called Maj. Virgil I. Grissom, the astronaut who was the voice of those in charge of flight at the center in Texas:
"We are three to four miles away and we just can't close up."
"Should we close more or save the fuel?" asked Major McDivitt.
In the background one could hear the voice of Christopher Kraft, the mission director.
Told to Save Fuel
"Save the fuel," he said quickly and firmly.
Hence the planned close approaches to the booster rocket were abandoned. There was a note of tension in Major McDivitt's voice as he asked repeatedly for information on the new orbit of his Gemini 4 spacecraft.
His energetic attempts to chase the booster must have altered the orbit, he said. Was it still stable, or was it so low it would bring him and Major White down in some remote part of the world?
It turned out that the new orbit, with an apogee of 182 miles and a perigee of 103 miles, was higher than the original orbit of 175 and 100 miles.
Next came the problem of preparing for the exit into space. This, for Major White, was like trying to put on a football uniform in the front seat of a sports car. Sensors attached to him reported by radio his pulse, temperature and other body data. It was evident to those on the ground that he was perspiring.
A Two-Page Checklist
The checklist of Major White's tasks at this point covered two full pages of the flight plan. He had to remove from stowage the 25-foot tether that would connect him to the space ship, a chest pack containing emergency oxygen for his venture outside the ship, his special gloves for that period and many other items.
He had to disconnect the ordinary fittings that connect him to the spacecraft--feeding him oxygen, providing communications and transmitting medical information--and in their place connect the tether.
At one point one of the astronauts called to Major Grissom in Texas "Boy! Is it crowded in here, Gus?"
The astronauts, now approaching the Pacific Ocean, asked if they should go ahead with the venture into space when they reached Hawaii.
"Yes, go ahead," they were told.
But it was soon evident that they would not be ready by Hawaii. They were told they could defer the exit until the next time around if they so desired.
There followed a period of silence. The first clue to those on the ground of the decision of the astronauts was data on the cabin pressure radioed to earth.
The cabin is filled with pure oxygen at a pressure of about five pounds a square inch. However the plan called for complete depressurization as the ship flew over Canton Island in the Pacific so that the cabin would be at the same near-vacuum as space at the time when the hatch was to be opened over Hawaii.
No drop in pressure was recorded on the ground.
Decide on Extra Orbit
Finally, the astronauts came back on the air and said they had decided to go around once more before attempting the move into raw space.
The voice of Mr. Kraft could be heard in the space center in Texas: "Tell him we're happy with that."
They flew across the United States and reported that they could see the launching site at Cape Kennedy. It was the next time around, across the Continent somewhat more to the south, that Major White made his exit at about 4:45 P.M.
The Southwestern states were clear and only scattered clouds obscured the Texas landmarks around the homes of the astronauts south of Houston.
Majors McDivitt and White pointed out these landmarks to one another. Meanwhile, the voice from Houston kept telling Major White: "Get back in," since his time had run out and the vehicle would soon enter night over Africa.
However, because their radio was set for continuous transmission, the astronauts heard nothing. Finally the word got through and Major White, with obvious reluctance, re- entered the craft.
He had difficulty closing the hatch once he was back in and this led the astronauts to shelve plans for re-opening it to throw out the gear that was no longer needed, such as the tether cord.
Major White apparently managed to jettison one helmet visor and one mitten before he closed the hatch. However, the rest of the extra gear, including the long, snaking tether, may be kept inside the cabin for the remainder of the flight.
The Soviet spacecraft Voskhod 2, from which Colonel Leonov made man's first entry into raw space, did not have to be completely depressurized, as did Gemini 4.
The Voskhod contained a chamber with two hatches, one opening into the main part of the cabin and the other into space. The colonel entered the chamber, closed the hatches and depressurized it. Then he opened the exit hatch and stepped out into space.
When he returned, he closed the exit hatch, repressurized the chamber, opened the interior door and returned to the main cabin.
His companion and the space craft commander, Col. Pavel I. Belayev, remained in the pressurized part of the cabin during Colonel Leonov's side trip.
After the Gemini was re-pressurized yesterday, Major White was instructed to take a four-hour nap.
At a press briefing in Houston last evening, various possible explanations for the first- orbit failure to close in on the booster rocket were discussed.
It was pointed out that if a spaceship seeking to overtake another increases its speed it enlarges its orbit. This increases its vertical separation from the other craft.
Another problem is estimating distances in space. Future Gemini spacecraft will be equipped with radar to facilitate the rendezvous operations for which they are designed.
The chief purpose of the Gemini program is to develop the techniques for space rendezvous and extravehicular activity that will be needed for the moon project.
[size=+1]Jokes In The Void [/size]
Talk of 2 Astronauts Is Heard by Millions on Radio and TV
<H5>By WALTER SULLIVAN
Special to The New York Times
</H5>
Tethered to the Gemini 4 spacecraft, he chatted good-humoredly and snapped pictures as he darted about in raw space with a the aid of a gas-firing jet gun. Asked how he was doing by Maj. James A. McDivitt of the Air Force, the spaceship commander, Major White replied to his partner in the capsule:
"I'm doing great. This is fun."
When he was told to re-enter the capsule, Major White laughed and said: "I'm not coming in." But later, after more banter, he followed through on orders to return.
Both in 'Great Shape'
At 3 A.M., Eastern daylight time, the spaceship was in its 11th orbit and the astronauts reported that they were in "real great shape." They spent the night taking turns napping and checking radiation levels both in the spacecraft and on its outside surface. The space control center at Houston cut off voice contact with them for more than an hour at a time in order not to disturb them.
Major White's floating venture came after earlier difficulties had forced cancellation of the plan for two close approaches by the spacecraft to the final stage of the rocket that had placed the capsule in orbit.
Attempts to draw near to the rocket during the first orbit had expended roughly half the fuel allocated to such maneuvering. It appeared that the reason for this high fuel consumption would not be known until after analysis of the flight records following the four-day mission.
The mastery of rendezvous techniques is the central goal of the Gemini program, since such operations are essential for landing men on the moon and bringing them home again.
62 Orbits Scheduled
If the two-man vehicle files its 62 scheduled orbits it should come down about 10 A.M. Monday.
Unlike the Soviet cosmonaut, Lieut. Col. Aleksei A. Leonov, who ventured outside his spaceship in March, Major White apparently suffered no disorientation. During his period in space he pushed himself to various sides of the Gemini craft with his jet gun.
The vehicle's radio circuit was open so that his colleagues on earth could hear the talk between him and Major McDivitt.
Major Divitt, operating a camera from inside the vehicle, called to his free-floating companion outside:
"Get out in front where I can see you again!"
Major White explained that he could see the California coast. Then he came close enough to brush the ship commander's window.
"You smeared up my windshield, you dirty dog!" called Major McDivitt. His voice traveled by wire to the helmet of his floating companion over the 25-foot tether and also to earth by radio.
The launching from Cape Kennedy had been delayed an hour and a quarter by an electrical failure in the "overspeed regulator" of the erector. The erector is a 130-ton tower, hinged to the launch pad, that pushed the Titan 2 launching missile to an upright position. It then is lowered to lie flat on the ground during launching.
The overspeed regulator is supposed to keep the erector from dropping too fast. But yesterday for an hour and a quarter, it kept it from lowering at all.
The launching, at 11:16 A.M., went off smoothly. Over the Atlantic the final stage of the booster rocket was separated from the spacecraft.
The plan was for Major McDivitt to use the craft's Orbit Attitude and Maneuvering System to keep it close to the booster until Major White's exit into space.
Soon after entry into orbit Major McDivitt reported that he was only 500 feet from the booster. But for some reason, during the first orbit, his attempt to maneuver close to the booster burned up about half of the liquid rocket fuel allocated for the experiment.
Over the Pacific Major McDivitt called Maj. Virgil I. Grissom, the astronaut who was the voice of those in charge of flight at the center in Texas:
"We are three to four miles away and we just can't close up."
"Should we close more or save the fuel?" asked Major McDivitt.
In the background one could hear the voice of Christopher Kraft, the mission director.
Told to Save Fuel
"Save the fuel," he said quickly and firmly.
Hence the planned close approaches to the booster rocket were abandoned. There was a note of tension in Major McDivitt's voice as he asked repeatedly for information on the new orbit of his Gemini 4 spacecraft.
His energetic attempts to chase the booster must have altered the orbit, he said. Was it still stable, or was it so low it would bring him and Major White down in some remote part of the world?
It turned out that the new orbit, with an apogee of 182 miles and a perigee of 103 miles, was higher than the original orbit of 175 and 100 miles.
Next came the problem of preparing for the exit into space. This, for Major White, was like trying to put on a football uniform in the front seat of a sports car. Sensors attached to him reported by radio his pulse, temperature and other body data. It was evident to those on the ground that he was perspiring.
A Two-Page Checklist
The checklist of Major White's tasks at this point covered two full pages of the flight plan. He had to remove from stowage the 25-foot tether that would connect him to the space ship, a chest pack containing emergency oxygen for his venture outside the ship, his special gloves for that period and many other items.
He had to disconnect the ordinary fittings that connect him to the spacecraft--feeding him oxygen, providing communications and transmitting medical information--and in their place connect the tether.
At one point one of the astronauts called to Major Grissom in Texas "Boy! Is it crowded in here, Gus?"
The astronauts, now approaching the Pacific Ocean, asked if they should go ahead with the venture into space when they reached Hawaii.
"Yes, go ahead," they were told.
But it was soon evident that they would not be ready by Hawaii. They were told they could defer the exit until the next time around if they so desired.
There followed a period of silence. The first clue to those on the ground of the decision of the astronauts was data on the cabin pressure radioed to earth.
The cabin is filled with pure oxygen at a pressure of about five pounds a square inch. However the plan called for complete depressurization as the ship flew over Canton Island in the Pacific so that the cabin would be at the same near-vacuum as space at the time when the hatch was to be opened over Hawaii.
No drop in pressure was recorded on the ground.
Decide on Extra Orbit
Finally, the astronauts came back on the air and said they had decided to go around once more before attempting the move into raw space.
The voice of Mr. Kraft could be heard in the space center in Texas: "Tell him we're happy with that."
They flew across the United States and reported that they could see the launching site at Cape Kennedy. It was the next time around, across the Continent somewhat more to the south, that Major White made his exit at about 4:45 P.M.
The Southwestern states were clear and only scattered clouds obscured the Texas landmarks around the homes of the astronauts south of Houston.
Majors McDivitt and White pointed out these landmarks to one another. Meanwhile, the voice from Houston kept telling Major White: "Get back in," since his time had run out and the vehicle would soon enter night over Africa.
However, because their radio was set for continuous transmission, the astronauts heard nothing. Finally the word got through and Major White, with obvious reluctance, re- entered the craft.
He had difficulty closing the hatch once he was back in and this led the astronauts to shelve plans for re-opening it to throw out the gear that was no longer needed, such as the tether cord.
Major White apparently managed to jettison one helmet visor and one mitten before he closed the hatch. However, the rest of the extra gear, including the long, snaking tether, may be kept inside the cabin for the remainder of the flight.
The Soviet spacecraft Voskhod 2, from which Colonel Leonov made man's first entry into raw space, did not have to be completely depressurized, as did Gemini 4.
The Voskhod contained a chamber with two hatches, one opening into the main part of the cabin and the other into space. The colonel entered the chamber, closed the hatches and depressurized it. Then he opened the exit hatch and stepped out into space.
When he returned, he closed the exit hatch, repressurized the chamber, opened the interior door and returned to the main cabin.
His companion and the space craft commander, Col. Pavel I. Belayev, remained in the pressurized part of the cabin during Colonel Leonov's side trip.
After the Gemini was re-pressurized yesterday, Major White was instructed to take a four-hour nap.
At a press briefing in Houston last evening, various possible explanations for the first- orbit failure to close in on the booster rocket were discussed.
It was pointed out that if a spaceship seeking to overtake another increases its speed it enlarges its orbit. This increases its vertical separation from the other craft.
Another problem is estimating distances in space. Future Gemini spacecraft will be equipped with radar to facilitate the rendezvous operations for which they are designed.
The chief purpose of the Gemini program is to develop the techniques for space rendezvous and extravehicular activity that will be needed for the moon project.
