March 23rd, 1965 - Gus Grissom and John Young launch aboard The (Unsinkable) Molly Brown and the first crewed mission of Project Gemini - Gemini 3. The name of the capsule was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Broadway musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Grissom’s Mercury capsule Liberty Bell 7 sinking in the Atlantic after spashdown in 1961. NASA Management would not let any further Gemini capsules be named following Gemini 3. 

The mission of Gemini 3 was to test the maneuverable thrusters in the new two-man capsule. Toward the end of their first orbit, Grissom and Young performed the first orbital maneuver of a crewed spacecraft, essential for the coming Apollo missions.

On-board Molly Brown, Young sparked controversy with a corned-beed sandwich on rye, smuggled aboard the capsule in an extra pocket. Young and Grissom each took a bite, before realizing it would not hold very well together in micro-gravity. The threat of crumbs and debris interfering with the spacecraft systems ensured that no further sandwich contraband would fly on any future Gemini or Apollo missions. According to John Young, “It didn’t even have mustard on it. And no pickle.”

Gemini 3 would splash down 4 hours, 52 minutes after takeoff. Grissom and Young were picked up by the USS Intrepid two hours later.

Neil Armstrong and David Scott as their Gemini 8 Capsule is being recovered, 1966.

via reddit

On board Apollo 7 - these days 50 Years ago!

Time-exposure of the multiple rocker arms for the Gemini 10 launch (July 1966), vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper.

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Cool photo of Gemini-8 post-splashdown

by NASA Johnson

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, and Laika the space dog, the pioneers of manned space travel. 

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Recently Declassified Photos Show the Birth of the Soviet Space Program

McDonnell Gemini 

15 Dec 1965