The Agena Target Vehicle (; ATV), also known as Gemini-Agena Target Vehicle (GATV), was an uncrewed spacecraft used by NASA during its Gemini program to develop and practice orbital space rendezvous and docking techniques, and to perform large orbital changes, in preparation for the Apollo program lunar missions. and had a gross mass at orbital insertion of about .

The ATV for Gemini 6 failed on launch on October 25, 1965, which led NASA to develop a backup: the Augmented Target Docking Adapter (ATDA), a smaller spacecraft consisting of the docking target with an attitude control propulsion system but without the Agena orbital change rocket. The ATDA was used once on Gemini 9A after a second ATV launch failure on May 17, 1966, but failed as a docking target because its launch shroud failed to separate.

Operations

thumb|200px|An [[Atlas-Agena launch vehicle launches GATV-5006 into orbit for the Gemini 11 mission.]]

Each ATV consisted of an Agena-D-derivative upper rocket stage built by Lockheed Aircraft and a docking adapter built by McDonnell Aircraft. The Agena was launched from Cape Kennedy's Launch Complex 14 on top of an Atlas booster built by the Convair division of General Dynamics. The Agena first burn would occur shortly after shroud jettison and separation from the Atlas over the Atlantic Ocean. Over Ascension Island, a second burn would place the Agena into a low circular orbit.

Once docked, the astronaut in the right seat could control Agena's thrusters and engine.

  • Undocking, unreeling a nylon tether between the capsule and the Agena and flying in a "dumbbell" configuration with the Agena below the astronauts, to check the gravitational effect on the formation stability in uncontrolled mode. This technique is now known as gravity-gradient stabilization.
  • Using a similar tether and a few thruster bursts to rotate the two craft around each other as an early test of artificial gravity.
  • After rendezvous with its own ATV, Gemini 10 performed a second rendezvous with the ATV from Gemini 8.

After detaching from their respective Gemini capsules, Agena target vehicles continued to execute post-mission operations under ground control. For instance, GATV 5003, post-separation from Gemini 8, underwent extensive systems testing. Its main engine was fired nine times, and it executed 5,000 commands, surpassing the contractual requirement of 1,000. This allowed a detailed assessment of its command and communication systems. The vehicle was eventually placed in a circular decay orbit, facilitating its observation during the Gemini 10 mission. Similarly, GATV 5005 performed three orbital maneuvers post-Gemini 10 separation, including adjustments to study temperature effects in varying orbits and executing 1,700 commands, some of which were relayed from Gemini 10. (ATDA). This consisted of the Gemini docking collar and an attitude control propulsion system based on the Gemini Reentry Control System. The ATDA was long, with a mass of .

A few questions were raised about the compatibility of the ATDA with the Atlas booster, since it had much lower mass than the GATV, potentially throwing off the launch vehicle's aerodynamics and calibrated settings. However, Convair assured McDonnell that it would pose no technical issues with the booster.

A second GATV launch failure occurred on May 17, 1966, as Gemini 9 astronauts Tom Stafford and Eugene Cernan sat on their pad awaiting launch. The Atlas–Agena lifted smoothly into a cloudy sky, vanishing from view around T+50 seconds. Shortly before Booster Engine Cutoff (BECO), the guidance control officer announced that he had lost contact with the booster.

Telemetry indicated that Agena staging had taken place on schedule at T+300 seconds. The Agena continued transmitting signals until T+436 seconds, when all telemetry ceased. Hidden behind clouds, the Atlas's B-2 engine gimbaled hard to right starting at T+120 seconds and remained fixed in that position, flipping the launch vehicle 216° around and sending it back towards Cape Kennedy. This rotation had made it impossible for ground guidance to lock on. Radar stations in the Bahamas tracked it heading north and descending. Vehicle stability was gradually regained following BECO, however it had pitched approximately 231° from its intended flight path. Both vehicles plunged into the Atlantic Ocean downrange. The Agena's engine did not activate since the proper altitude and velocity had not been attained, preventing the guidance system from sending the start command. While the exact cause of the engine gimbal control loss was not found, telemetry indicated that a short-to-ground occurred in the circuit for the servoamplifier output command signal, which may have been caused by cryogenic leakage in the thrust section. Substantiating this theory were abnormally low thrust section temperatures starting at T+65 seconds. The source of the cryogenic leakage was not identified. The loss of the lock on the ground prevented normal engine cutoff signals from being transmitted to the Atlas; BECO was generated by the staging backup accelerometer, SECO at T+273 seconds due to LOX depletion, and VECO and Agena staging from a backup command generated by the missile programmer. Aside from the flight control system, all Atlas systems functioned properly.

While Convair accepted responsibility for the launch failure, Lockheed engineers expressed concern about telemetry data that indicated a servo failure in the Agena, leading to doubts as to whether the stage would have still operated properly if the Atlas hadn't malfunctioned. However, the true cause of failure surfaced when the Air Force released film taken by tracking cameras at Melbourne Beach, Florida, which showed the Atlas pitching over and heading downward. It was then determined that the Agena's servo malfunction was caused by passing through the Atlas's ionized exhaust trail.

The Gemini 9A modified mission launch was rescheduled for June 1, 1966, using the ATDA. However, the shroud that protected the docking adapter during launch failed to separate, due to lanyards being incorrectly secured with adhesive tape. Gemini 9A was launched on June 3, and when in orbit, the crew observed that the shroud of the ATDA had partially opened and was described by Stafford as "looking like an angry alligator". Docking was not possible, but the rendezvous maneuver was practiced instead.

Flight statistics

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Target

! Gemini mission

! Launched

! Reentered

! NSSDC ID

! Gross mass in orbit

! Comments

!Photo

|-

| GATV-5002

| Gemini 6

| October 25, 1965 <br> 15:00:04 UTC

| October 25, 1965 <br> 15:06:20 UTC

| GEM6T

| N/A

| Atlas-Agena exploded during launch. <br>Gemini 6A achieved first rendezvous with Gemini 7 instead.

| 150px

|-

| GATV-5003

| Gemini 8

| March 16, 1966 <br> 15:00:03 UTC

| September 15, 1967

| 1966-019A

|

| Achieved first docking, but mission soon aborted due to stuck Gemini thruster. <br> ATV later used as secondary target on Gemini 10.

| 150px

|-

| GATV-5004

| Gemini 9

| May 17, 1966 <br> 15:12:00 UTC

| May 17, 1966 <br> 15:19:00 UTC

| GEM9TA

| N/A

| Failed to orbit.

|

|-

| ATDA No. 02186

| Gemini 9A

| June 1, 1966 <br> 15:00:02 UTC

| June 11, 1966

| 1966-046A

|

| No Agena rocket. Successful rendezvous, but no docking due to shroud separation failure.

|150px

|-

| GATV-5005

| Gemini 10

| July 18, 1966 <br> 20:39:46 UTC

| December 29, 1966

| 1966-065A

|

| Boosted Gemini 10 to apogee.

|150px

|-

| GATV-5006

| Gemini 11

| September 12, 1966 <br> 13:05:01 UTC

| December 30, 1966

| 1966-080A

|

| Boosted Gemini 11 to record apogee. <br> First demonstration of artificial gravity created in microgravity.

|150px

|-

| GATV-5001A

| Gemini 12

| November 11, 1966 <br> 19:07:58 UTC

| December 23, 1966

| 1966-103A

|

| No apogee boost due to defective Agena engine. Performed tether experiment.

|150px

|}

Gemini 8's docking with the Agena was shown in episode 1 "Can We Do This?", of the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, and in the 2018 Neil Armstrong biopic First Man.

Gemini 8's docking with the Agena featured in the short science fiction drama DARKSIDE produced by nrgpix as an entry to the London Sci Fi film festival 2020.

References

  • Gemini 6/Agena target vehicle 5002 systems test evaluation (PDF) December 1965
  • Gemini 6 Agena Target vehicle
  • Gemini 8 Docks with Agena Video
  • On the Shoulders of Titans, Project Gemini, NASA history

fr:Agena (fusée-cible)