What was the Gemini missions for?
The Gemini program was primarily designed to prepare for the Apollo program. They were two-man crews that gained experience in living in weightlessness for extended periods up to two weeks, performing spacewalks, docking with another spacecraft, and so on. There was some pure science conducted, such as earth observations– if you’re up there for two weeks, you may as well be doing something worthwhile. As far as where they went, they were primarily in low earth orbit, 100-250 miles, similar to where the shuttle and the International Space Station travel, though one Gemini mission reached an altitude of over 1,180 miles.
