Richard Gordon (American, b. 1929)
Two photographs depicting the tethering of the spacecraft to the Agena over the Earth, Gemini 11, September 1966. The first numbered 'NASA S-66-54807' (NASA MSC) in red on the recto u.l. margin; the second stamped "D4C 41054" on the verso u.r., McDonnell Aircraft stamp on the verso u.l. Vintage chromogenic prints on fiber-based Kodak paper with 'A Kodak Paper' watermark on the verso, image sizes to 8 1/4 x 8 in. (20.9 x 20.3 cm), unmatted.
Condition: Minor wear at the corners of the first print.

N.B. After tethering of the two docked spacecrafts by Richard Gordon during his EVA, Conrad undocked from the Agena and backed away slowly, stretching the tether taut. At first, the vehicles wobbled and the tether swung like a skip rope (first image). Firing a burst from his thrusters, Conrad stabilized the gently rotating spaceships, generating a mild centrifugal force that simulated a gravitational pull (Mason, p. 118). The two spacecrafts were tethered for about three hours until the crew fired a small pyrotechnic charge to blow off the docking bar. The tether was cut loose from Gemini 11 and wrapped around the ATV, here less than seventy feet away (second image). The NASA negative number for the second image is S-66-54579.
Estimate $400-600


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