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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Up close... The Interior of the Gemini XII Capsule

...Continued from thread II - "Capsule settles in"::

...I observed other media hounds taking interior shots of the cabin, and I thought to follow suit. I couldn't see directly into the crew cabin, so I shot high over head, looking at my camera's ghostly screen for guidance. And I must say, they turned out quite well.

Here we get to view the seats of the astronaut crew, Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin.

We look toward the front of the crew cabin and onto the instrument panels. The switches are all throw switches, mechanical dials and levers...and you can make out much of the labeling.

This one is taken straight down the side of the nearest chair on the closest side of the capsule. Looks like oxygen connectors.

Chair removal sticker.

As I was taking my close-up interior shots, The Chicago Tribune was on the ladder and taking their own pics. This is where I was captured by the photographer and used as the Adler/Gemini XII arrival in the next days paper. Quite cool! The only thing is that due to the high angle that the ladder provided, my legs look squat and short...shorter than usual! I thank Heather of the Tribune for the inclusion...

The full and processed image can be found here:
astronomer.proboards23.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Annoucements&thread=1144777327&page=1

We were finally shooshed out of the area, as the crew was to get ready to work on the display.

Here is the last shot of the capsule while exiting.

On our way out to get coffee in the board room, we took this shot of us doing the "Hiding the Earth with Thumb" pose that the statue is portraying.

It was a great day to experience the arrival of the Gemini XII space craft Capsule and sharing it with my friends at the Adler.

Respectfully submitted,

Joseph Guzman

-Chicago Astronomer
-Adler Telescope Operator
-Substance News Reporter

[lelsaucedo]

Wow, Joe what detail you got with those interior shots. Its amazing.

An interesting note. I was talking to my dad yesterday night and telling him how exciting it was to see Gemini XII. He tells me, yeah Buzz Aldrin, your mom & I had drinks with him and his wife on a cruise last year in Mexico. Buzz did a presentation that was well attended and very interesting according to my dad. Who knew?

Thanks for taking such awesome pictures and sharing them with everyone!

[SteveCosgrove]

Joe,
Great work documenting the Gemini 12 Arrival! I enjoyed attending and wish I could have stayed longer. Boy I can't believe how dated that capsule looks today. Like looking at a WWII fighter cockpit. Gives you a profound respect for the chances those guys took piloting those ships!
-Steve

[Peter Birren]

Awesome! And the photos were great, too. Nice job, Joe.

I was in the Air Force in the mid to late 60's and remember well all the dials and switches, now replaced by touch screens and heads-up-displays. Gotta get downtown to see this part of history that I (along with several million other people) lived through.

Peter Birren
www.birrendesign.com/astro.html

[Obviousman]

Fantastic phots - thank you very much for posting them.

I don't think the capsule looks 'dated' so much as 'classic'!

Thanks again!

Obviousman from a land down under

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Obviousman,

Yes...I agree with your description, and as one who drives a '68 Chevelle - I concur most heartedly...

Thank you all who have enjoyed the account of the Gemini XII arrival here at Chicago's Adler Planetarium. I have received many emails from throughout the world, from forums and other internet places of science.

Here are some of the nice notes:

Thanks, Joe. That's a great account, and absolutely awesome photos! I'm always
interested to see the old space hardware up close and personal. It gives me
inspiration when I'm designing.

Hopefully one of my spacecraft will get this kind of welcome at a museum or
planetarium 30 years from now. I keep dreaming ;-)

James Owens
Crew Launch Vehicle design engineer

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Joe, that's excellent. Being in Chicago... I'm going to have to go
check this out! Thanks for sharing that... and... why is it that
there hasn't been any mention of this in the news here? Boo!

Wes

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Awesome pictures and report, Joe. Thanks for sharing that.

Greg
Sacramento, CA

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Incredible pictures of the spaceship. I enjoyed your narration and the city skyline was nice.

Linda
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Great photos! Thanks for sharing them. Technology-wise, we've sure come a long way since those early days yet they still accomplished great feats with what they had.

Susan

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Looks a bit cramped in there, especially considering they were wearing spacesuits the entire mission.

Damburger

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I've had a chance to look at that now. Those are nice photos! I really liked the interior shots. I remember Apollo (later missions at least) well, but was a bit young for Gemini. I do remember building a very detailed Gemini model. It is surprising how many details you can learn doing that.

Vin Rijn

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Thank you, Joe - I enjoyed your photos and descriptions!

F French

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Never having seen the interior of any space craft, it was very exciting to view your photos and look at all the sixties era stuff. Thanks!

Matt

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More later...