When Gemini 11 Almost but Not Really Went to the Moon
After failing to take Gemini 11 to the Moon, Pete Conrad did the next best thing and just took it into a really high orbit.
Gemini 11 set a distance record for manned spaceflight reaching a peak altitude of 850 miles. The record was only topped when Apollo flew to the Moon. But Gemini 11 remains the highest Earth orbital mission; since the lunar landing program ended, the shuttle and the International Space Station have stuck to a roughly 250 mile orbit.
For more on the lunar and high-flying Gemini missions, check out the latest article on Vintage Space.
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