GEMINI MANUAL: An insight into NASA's Gemini spacecraft, the precursor to Apollo and the key to the Moon

I've been buying a lot of these Haynes "Owner's Workshop Manual" recently. They are an excellent reference item when building model kits and easy to read as a stand alone book. They follow a standard format- history, variants, Use and Maintenance. The books are usually written by former user/experts and are always very informative. Also, the quality of photos and illustrations are second to none, often showing the unseen/hard to get to areas. Haynes are onto a winner with these, as they are an excellent addition to a reference library.

The entire Space Flight series is superb in my opinion. Great reference guide for dipping in and out of. More detail if you want to get into it, and ultimately offers as much of a detailed “all in” overview that you’ll ever get without choosing to become a scholar on be subject. And if you are that scholar, then this deserves a place on your massively overweighted bookeshelf.

This was enjoyed very much by the recipient!

It's OK - lots of technical stuff, pity it doesn't cover the projected Gemini developments in great detail.

This is a nicely presented and very technical (in a good way) guide to the Gemini spacecraft and the Atlas and Titan boosters plus ancillary equipment like suits and the Agena system. Recommended.

Perfect if you where around in the sixties

great read

Very satisfied with detail

ho diversi manuale della Haynes e sono tutti fatti molto bene con disegni e foto in quantità! Questo l'ho addirittura preso usato, ma quasi perfetto risparmiando pure qualche euro!!!

Ich mag diese "Owners Workshop" Bücher aus dem Haynes Verlag, ich habe mittlerweile einige davon. Die Bücher bieten immer einen sehr guten, technischen Überblick über das Thema, so auch beim diesem Buch über das Gemini Programm. Man erhält eine gute Einsicht in die damals verwendete Technik, gespickt mit teilweise wirklich hervorragenden technischen Zeichnungen. Wer sich für das Buch interessiert: Es wird weniger auf die einzelnen Missionen an sich eingegangen, die Technik steht eindeutig im Vordergrund.

My rating is actually 4-1/2 stars, but I rounded up as this is a particularly good book about the Gemini spacecraft. The first two thirds of this book describe the Gemini spacecraft in general to specific details that almost anyone could understand. The illustrations, many taken from Gemini technical manuals, are reproduced well and many have been "enhanced" or colorized to make them easy to follow or understand. Some may believe there are too many details, while others (like myself) would like more. The authors have struck an excellent balance in my opinion. One nitpick I have is the illustration of the spacecraft instrument control panel is described as "typical." All well and good, but maybe a table listing what controls or displays varied between various Gemini spacecraft should have been included. The title does read, "all missions, all models." The real surprise to me was the last third of the book. It describes Gemini's various missions and was far from being the typical, dry rehash that I have read over and over again. It is well illustrated and nicely succinct. The pictures illustrating this book are a pleasure to examine. The reproduction values are high and the photographs from the various missions are unusually sharp and crisp with vibrant colors. Better still, many of them, almost half, are not the standard photos one sees over and over again. The authors have included many unusual and rarely seen pictures in this book. Overall, this is book is thoroughly enjoyable and a valuable addition to anyone's Project Gemini collection.

Formidable. Este manual explica con detalle y claridad, con datos documentados y fáciles de entender, en general, los entresijos de la misión Gemini, imprescindible para el posterior desarrollo y el éxito de Apollo.

前回レビューしたソユーズの対になる書籍と書けば、説明は不要だろう。アポロ計画を実現するための様々な要因を検証、試行するために計画されたジェミニ計画、複数の宇宙飛行士を宇宙に送り無事帰還させる、EVAの検証、月着陸を見据えたランデブー・ドッキング技術の蓄積、それに必要なジェミニ宇宙船のマニューバ能力などなどいっぱい掲載されています。アポロ計画のサターンロケットの技術が今ではあるいみロストテクノロジーと呼ばれることもあるらしいですが。アポロがそうならジェミニはさらにロストテクノロジーの塊でしょう。NASAに関係する技術者が様々な課題を解決するために限られた時間（ケネディの演説があるからゴールが決まっている）のなかで生み出した解決方法。そんなことを想像しながらこの本をめくっていくと子供のころのわくわく感がよみがえってきます。