Launch from Cape Canaveral; landing 650 km
southwest of Bermuda Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.
This was the first
launch, which was broadcasted on television to twelve European nations using
the satellite "Early Bird" and for the first time Mission Control Center in
Houston, Texas, was used.
The first
EVA
of an U.S. astronaut occured on June 03, 1965 (Edward
White in 23 m). He used a hand-held maneuvering gun. With
bursts from this zip gun he was able to "walk" around the capsule, but after
short time the compressed oxygen fuel bottle was empty. He was also able to
mount and dismount the camera and move and remove electrical connections from
outside the capsule. But Edward
White had big problems to come back into the capsule, because
there were problems to lock the hatch. James
McDivitt had to help him. After the door was latched Edward
White sat back, physically exhausted, sweat streaming into
his eyes and fogging his faceplate. James
McDivitt also felt tired, so they rested before extending a
radio antenna to find a ground-based voice and tell Earth all was well. But the
first
EVA of an American astronaut was successful.
All secondary objectives were met except one. The secondary objective of
station keeping and rendezvous was only partially successful because separation
and rendezvous was not attempted due to fuel consumption. All in all 11
scientific experiments were performed, including observations, photography
work. The engineering experiment Electrostatic charge gave higher readings than
expected. Onboard were also a Proton-Electron Spectrometer and a Tri-Axis
Magnetometer. One medical experiment was the Phonocardiogram experiment, which
had sensors attached to their bodies that measured heartbeat rates, especially
during liftoff,
EVA,
and reentry.
Gemini 4 missed its mark by 80 km, but within a few
minutes the capsule was recovered by the
USS Wasp.