Gemini Program boots and helmet

Between April 1964 and November 1966, NASA's Gemini Program flew three unmanned and ten manned missions. These boots and helmet were part of training spacesuits, which were the same as the ones Gemini astronauts wore during missions.

Gemini had four main goals to prepare for the Apollo Program and putting an American on the Moon: to test astronauts’ ability to fly long missions and work outside the module, to understand how spacecraft launched at different times could meet and dock while in orbit, to perfect re-entry and landing methods, and to better understand the effects of space on astronauts. The astronaut's ability to live and work safely and (relatively) comfortably in space heavily relied on the spacesuits they wore.

Astronauts on all but one of Gemini's manned missions wore either G-3C or the nearly identical G-4C spacesuits. Boots were attached directly to the pressure garment and could not be removed without breaking the suit's pressure seal. A zipper running up the front of the boots made them easier to take on and off, while the laces provided a close fit. The fiberglass helmet had a plexiglass visor that could be raised and lowered. Integrated into the helmet are microphones and a set of earphones — covered in suede for comfort — used for communication with other astronauts and ground control.

Before being deemed space-ready, spacesuits underwent rigorous testing and had to pass specific requirements. Qualification requirements included a series of endurance tests that simulated two complete "14-day earth orbit missions" and a series of strength tests that simulated all environments "imposed at mission maximum levels plus pertinent factors of safety." Testers monitored things like pressure, CO2 removal, mobility, comfort, and temperature to make sure astronauts would not only survive but remain healthy and at least somewhat comfortable while in space. Rather than the G-3C or G-4C spacesuits, astronauts on Gemini 7, the longest space flight at 14 days, wore G-5C suits created specifically for their long mission that were easier to take on and off.

The program's first manned mission — Gemini III — launched 60 years ago on March 23, 1965, and was crewed by Gus Grissom and John Young. Gemini IV was crewed by James McDivitt and Edward White and was the first multi-day mission, launching June 3 and landing June 7, 1965. It also included the first American spacewalk, made by McDivitt. In total, Gemini astronauts completed eight spacewalks over four missions that tested how astronauts could move around, how difficult certain tasks were, and what tools would make their jobs easier in the weightlessness of space while wearing bulky spacesuits. Over half of the program’s astronauts — like Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell, and Gene Cernan — went on to Apollo missions.