After Eight – The Importance of Test Pilots

Astronauts David R. Scott (left), pilot; and, Neil A. Armstrong (right), command pilot, pose with model of the Gemini spacecraft after being selected as the crew for the Gemini 8 mission. Credit: NASA.

In this episode of the Terranauts podcast we take a little bit more time to examine the events of Gemini VIII and what NASA learned from that experience.

For one thing it learned the value of having test pilots as astronauts.  But it also learned that having a team on the ground  that could adapt to rapidly changing events on orbit was pretty important as well.

About Iain Christie

Founder and CEO at SideKickSixtyFive Consulting and host of the Terranauts podcast. Iain is a seasoned business executive with deep understanding of the space business and government procurement policy. Iain worked for 22 years at Neptec including as CEO. He was a VP at the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, is a mentor at the Creative Destruction Lab and a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management.

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