This is CBS, I on the World. I'm John Beth show. This is Hotel Mars, episode

and with David Livingston, Dr. Space of the Space Show.

It is 1965, August, August 21st, a lift off from Cape Canaveral.

Two men on board.

This is the early days of the American man's spaceflight.

The men on board are on a craft called Gemini 5.

It is a mission on the March to the Moon.

This is deep in the Cold War.

1965 saw the deployment of the U.S. Marines to Denang Air Base

at the beginning of the build-up in the Vietnam War.

Lyndon Johnson was president.

Civil Rights was in turmoil that summer and would be for many years afterward.

However, the Gemini program, successor to the Mercury program,

was a bright moment in everybody's day. We did not hear reporting on our iPhones.

We heard reporting on AM radio at best.

And then what happened? I welcome Rob Goodwin, who is the publisher of Apogee Books.com, to help me understand what Gemini 5 meant then and what

we know about it now. Rob, a very good evening to you.

Gemini 5 is a perfect liftoff and then it's a nearly eight day mission and then good evening to you

Rob.

Good evening, John.

Thanks for having me.

Well, Gemini 5, it was supposed to be eight days in space. That was the plan to see if they

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