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The four-day Gemini 12 mission was launched on November 11, 1966. Only one biological experiment was performed onboard the spacecraft. It was a reflight of an experiment that had flown on the Gemini 8 mission. The results of the Gemini 8 experiment were inconclusive because the mission had to be terminated prematurely.
The objective of the experiment was to study the effect of microgravity on developmental processes.
Eggs of the bullfrog Rana pipiens were used in the experiment.
The hardware used was identical to that used in the experiment on Gemini 8, except that there was only one unit on this mission. The unit was mounted on the pilot's hatch.
Control studies and preflight procedures were similar to those performed for the Gemini 8 experiment.
Fixative was released into individual egg chambers 40 minutes and 130 minutes after launch. Eggs in a third chamber were fixed shortly before re-entry. The eggs in the fourth chamber were left alive for comparison with the fixed specimens.
The experiment equipment and specimens were removed from the spacecraft shortly after recovery.
Development was normal, indicating that a gravitational field was not necessary for eggs to divide normally or to develop at later stages. However, as in the Gemini 8 mission, the eggs were fertilized on the ground and exposure to microgravity occurred only after the two-cell stage, which is thought to be critical for normal development.
Move to next section U.S. Biosatellite Program
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