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g_v_c_o_AKP (ca. 1963, unnumbered, lg frmt McDonnell Aircraft Corp. photo)

A striking, meticulous & sort of eerie McDonnell Aircraft Corporation artist’s rendering, ca. 1963, of the “GEMINI TRANSLATION AND DYNAMIC DOCKING SIMULATOR”. My ‘conclusion’ is based on the following linked diagrams, associated nomenclature & subsequent images. AND, it seems to have been constructed at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), Building 5!

Who knew? Did you? I didn’t.

Not to be confused with the more prevalently seen (and I thought only) simulator located at the Langley Research Center (LRC), with the cable-suspended Gemini capsule. I don’t know if its companion Agena Target Vehicle (ATV) was also similarly suspended:

 

I have no idea what kind of pressure suit that is, especially with those rigid rings, cuffs or whatever they are. An obscure prototype? An aircraft pressure suit of some sort. Artistic license? Not to mention that alien-looking helmet/helmet padding.

 

11” x 14”.

 

See March 5, 1962 entry:

 

history.nasa.gov/SP-4002/p1b.htm

 

Specifically:

 

history.nasa.gov/SP-4002/images/fig16b.jpg

 

From 1963, with slight variations:

 

archive.org/details/S63-08642

Credit: the wonderful Internet Archive website

 

www.nasa.gov/feature/55-years-ago-gemini-viii-the-first-d...

 

Once again, specifically:

 

[APPROPRIATELY ENOUGH, THE FOLLOWING NAssA LINKS NO LONGER WORK...YEAH BUDDY.

YET ANOTHER CASUALTY IN THEIR INFINITE WISDOM TO "IMPROVE" THEIR PATHETIC WEBSITES - BUMBLING BUFFOONS.)

 

www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public...

 

And:

 

roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/pages.ashx/1791/Building%20on%2...

 

Yet again, specifically:

 

roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/Images/set2_154.png

 

And…and…as if all of the above wasn’t enough, there’s MORE. My superlative research 😜, along with the wonderful random efforts of a brilliant, visionary & anonymous soul enabled the identification of the otherwise obscure artist.

Thanks to the aforementioned, who uploaded at least two SEARCHABLE pdf’s of the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) student newspaper, the “Current”, along with the original newspaper staff members responsible for the announcements (from 1972 & 1973), this work is conclusively confirmed to be by Mr. Earle Beaver.

 

From the January 27, 1972 edition:

“Figure Drawing - Earle Beaver, a commercial artist from McDonald Douglas is offering this studio course, with emphasis on model drawing.”

 

From the September 20, 1973 edition:

“ADVANCED FIGURE DRAWING - EARLE BEAVER

This class provides an opportunity for professional artists and advanced art students to improve their figure drawing skills. Drawing is done in charcoal or pencil. A model fee of $10.00 per student is due at the first meeting. Beaver is a commercial artist at the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, and has taught this class in every Communiversity session.”

 

All you have to do is look at the figure of the Astronaut and his offered class is obvious! Yes, I’m mildly giddy, yet again.

 

Further/finally, a pointless addendum:

 

“…McDonnell would provide two mission simulator trainers, a docking simulator trainer, five boilerplates, and three static articles for vibration and impact ground tests.”

 

Above extracted from an April 2, 1963 entry, at:

 

history.nasa.gov/SP-4002/p2a.htm

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Uploaded on April 10, 2022