Word: spacecrafts
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...oxygen tank heater would function. And getting at the heater itself was out of the question. Located in the adapter section, it was inaccessible to the crew. The astronauts flicked switches off and on again and again, trying somehow to stir the system into life. They maneuvered the spacecraft around so chat its blunt end, which housed the fuel-cell system, would get the full impact of the sun's rays. But the sun was no help. By this time the astronauts had turned off the radar, radio, computer and some of the environment-control systems. They were consuming...
...anxious quiet set in as Gemini 5 swept over the Atlantic on the beginning of its third revolution. Along with most of the U.S., the astronauts' families huddled close to their TV sets, waiting for some word. Almost everyone was convinced that the spacecraft would have to be brought down during the sixth revolution, before its orbital track took it away from the Pacific recovery area that would be its last convenient rescue location for many hours...
...hope we don't have to use them, but it will be a good exercise for them, and they'll be there if you need them." While they talked, though, the oxygen pressure dropped still lower−to 95 Ibs. If it fell to 20 Ibs., the spacecraft would have to switch to its back-up batteries, which produce just enough power to handle an orbit and a half, plus re-entry and recovery time...
...fifth revolution, Kraft faced his responsibility. Go? Or no go? Should he bring his ship down or reach for 18 revolutions? If he aborted the flight now, the astronauts would land in the Pacific recovery area where there were no helicopters within reach. At 18 revolutions, the spacecraft could splash down southwest of Bermuda, in the primary recovery area. The flight director called in his engineers, conferred with top NASA brass. Pride and prestige were involved; no manned U.S. spacecraft had ever failed to complete its planned mission. But Kraft, as ever, was the cool and deliberate flight engineer...
...going to be able to go on and complete the intended duration of this flight. He had just made one of the toughest decisions of his career, he was confident he had made the right one, and with each passing hour, each passing day that the spacecraft stayed aloft, he was proven correct. Gemini looked ready to finish its mission. "The longer we go," said Kraft, "the better...