Gemini 3A (Pre-Renovation)

The museum displays an unflown Gemini spacecraft, Gemini 3A. The photos here are prior to the renovation the museum undertook between my 2012 and 2018 visits.

The Field Guide quotes Smithsonian historian Mike Neufeld describing this spacecraft as "the 13th real Gemini spacecraft, although it started as a BP [boilerplate]. It was completely refurbished with all real components for long-duration vacuum chamber testing with astronauts."

The Project Gemini Status Report No. 2 calls it the flight backup spacecraft for Gemini 3 and notes that it was first used for altitude chamber tests.

As of now, I have not yet sorted through all of my pictures of Gemini 3A, but some other page references this location. Thus, this is a "place holder" version right now, with only the pictures actually referenced. Come back some time later to see if I've finished up, or drop me an email to request me to prioritize the rest of these pictures.