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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Tour(s)
1 Dec. 2011 - 21 Dec. 2011 - 27 June 2013
Page Three of Ten
A view out one of the blockhouse windows shows some of the outdoor displays. A Thor-Able rocket stands on the launch pad showing how close the launch crew was to the action. In the distance are the old Delta 2 launch gantries slated for demolition.
The Gemini 2 capsule on display has the distinction of having flown two sub-orbital unmanned spaceflights. One as a test for the NASA Gemini-Titan program, and its second flight as a test for the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory. The photo on the wall above left of the capsule shows the spacecraft taking off on its second flight.
The second flight for the USAF MOL program was a heatshield qualification test. The hole cut in the heatshield supported the internal crew hatch so Air Force astronauts could move back and forth between the spacecraft and the laboratory while in orbit. The test flight was a success but the program was cancelled before anyone flew.

Models from the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program.

ABOVE LEFT: The Titan IIIC launch vehicle with the laboratory module and capsule.

ABOVE RIGHT: The capsule attached to the laboratory as it would appear in orbit.

RIGHT: Close-up of the Gemini-MOL capsule.

Another cancelled Air Force man-in-space program, the shuttle-like X-20 Dyna-Soar that would have launched a small manned winged vehicle atop a rocket that would orbit the Earth and eventually glide to a landing like the shuttle did.
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