Gemini 10 is displayed with a rendezvous and recovery section (an "R &
R section"). During the mission, this is situated between the re-entry control
system section (the forward end of the spacecraft) and the nose fairing
(basically a cover which protects the parachutes during launch) and is the
portion of the Gemini spacecraft which physically docks with the target.
The R & R section also houses the various parachutes: The drogue parachute
(the small round hole at around 2:00), the pilot parachute (the similarly-sized
hole around 4:00), and the main parachute (inside the body of the R & R
section). The main chute is deployed as the R & R section is jettisoned.
All of the Geminis I have seen (Geminis 2 through 10, Gemini 12, and the
unflown GT-3A) have been displayed without an attached R & R section, and
I believe this is the only R & R section I've ever seen.
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