Atlas ATDA Credit - © Mark Wade

An unpowered Gemini docking collar less the Agena rocket stage, launched one time by an Atlas when the Agena stage was not available. Fairing separation failed.

Typical orbit: 292 km x 296 km at 29 degrees inclination. Mass: 794 kg (1,750 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: SLV-3 Atlas.

• 1965 August 19 - Lockheed conducted shroud separation tests at its Rye Canyon Research Center. -

  Tests comprised four separations at simulated altitudes, all sucessful. After test data had been analyzed, the shroud was judged to be flightworthy.

• 1966 January 21 - McDonnell completed final assembly of the augmented target docking adapter (ATDA). Voltage Standing Wave Ratio Tests were conducted January 21 and 22. -

  Systems Assurance Tests were completed January 25, vibration tests January 27. Simulated flight and phasing tests were conducted January 30-February 1. The ATDA was shipped to Cape Kennedy February 4.

• 1966 June 1 - Gemini 9 ATDA - Program: Gemini. Flight: Gemini 9. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: SLV-3 Atlas. Mass: 794 kg (1,750 lb). Perigee: 292 km (181 mi). Apogee: 296 km (183 mi). Inclination: 28.80 deg. Period: 90.40 min.

  The ATDA achieved a near-circular orbit (apogee 161.5, perigee 158.5 nautical miles). One hour and 40 minutes later, the scheduled launch of Gemini IX-A was postponed by a ground equipment failure which prevented the transfer of updating information from Cape Kennedy mission control center to the spacecraft computer. The mission was recycled for launch on June 3, following a prepared 48-hour recycle plan. Anomalous telemetry indicated some sort of problem with the target, but it was not until Gemini IX rendezvoused with it in orbit that it was seen that fairing separation had failed.

• JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.

• USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.

• Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• Baker, David, The History of Manned Spaceflight, Crown, New York, 1981. The best overview of America's manned space programs up to Skylab. Information and details not available anywhere else. Unfortunately out of print and difficult to locate.

• Lockheed Martin Coporation, Atlas Family Fact Sheets, September 1998.. Accessed at: http://www.lmco.com/ILS/txtmain/ils_lsysinfo.htm.