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The Agena Target Vehicle (/ ə ˈ dʒ iː n ə /; ATV), also known as Gemini-Agena Target Vehicle (GATV), was an uncrewed spacecraft used by NASA during its Gemini program to develop and practice orbital space rendezvous and docking techniques, and to perform large orbital changes, in preparation for the Apollo program lunar missions. [1]
Gemini 9A space-flown Fliteline Medallion. The Gemini 9 patch is in the shape of a shield and shows the Gemini spacecraft docked to the Agena. There is a spacewalking astronaut, with his tether forming the shape of a number 9. Although the Gemini 9 mission was changed to use the ATDA, the patch was not changed.
The standard Atlas-Agena vehicle is best known for launching the Augmented Target Docking Adapter (ATDA) in support of the Gemini 9A mission. This occurred on 1 June 1966, and was the first flight of the Atlas SLV-3 as an independent vehicle. [6] The ATDA failed because the payload shroud did not detach. [7]
The Gemini spacecraft would have rendezvoused with stacked Centaur and Agena upper stages in low Earth orbit. [14] The Centaur would have placed the Gemini and Agena onto a circumlunar trajectory, along which they would coast until they reached the Moon. The Agena would then have been used to perform Lunar orbit insertion.
The original Gemini 6 mission profile involved docking with an Agena target vehicle. On October 25, 1965, Schirra and Stafford were inside Gemini 6 before liftoff when the Agena vehicle exploded on ascent. After the original mission was canceled, it was redesignated Gemini 6A and was planned to rendezvous with the long-duration Gemini 7 mission.
Stafford and Cernan, the original backup crew, were launched three months later on June 3 as Gemini 9A. [41] The shuffling of the Gemini crews caused by the deaths of See and Bassett affected crew assignments for subsequent Gemini and Project Apollo missions. In particular, Aldrin flew as the pilot of Gemini 12, and later Apollo 11. [42]
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Gemini 8: First docking in space in history with Agena Target Vehicle Planned EVA canceled due to early re-entry necessitated by stuck thruster. 23 Thomas P. Stafford (2) Eugene Cernan (1) 3 June 1966 Gemini 9A: 6 June 1966 Gemini 9A: First backup crew to fly space mission. 24 John Young (2) Michael Collins (1) 18 July 1966 Gemini 10: 21 July ...