Its objective was to develop space travel techniques to support Apollo's mission toland astronauts on the Moon. Gemini achieved missions long enough for a trip to theMoon and back, perfected working outside the spacecraft withextra-vehicular activity (EVA), and pioneered theorbital maneuvers necessary to achievespace rendezvous anddocking. With these new techniques proven in Gemini, Apollo could pursue its prime mission without doing these fundamental exploratory operations.
The astronaut corps that supported Project Gemini included the "Mercury Seven", "The New Nine", and the1963 astronaut class. During the program, three astronauts died in air crashes during training, including the prime crew for Gemini 9. This mission was performed by the backup crew, the only time that had happened in NASA's history to that date.
