Spacecraft Blasts Off

On December 15, 1965, the Gemini 6A blasted off from Cape Kennedy in Florida. Walter Schirra and Thomas Stafford were the astronauts on board the spacecraft, which had been manufactured in St. Louis at McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. McDonnell had won the contract to build the space vehicles, making St. Louis ground zero for America’s human spaceflight program.

Based upon content from the book Missouri 365: This Day in Missouri History by John W. Brown, broadcaster and Missouri historian. Get your copy at Reedy Press.

Image from Picryl by NASA licensed under the public domain