CAPSULE FLOATING; HOISTED ONTO SHIP; NAVY BAND; CAPSULE ABOARD CARRIER; SCHIRRA AND STAFFORD OUT; WELCOMED AND CONGRATULATED.




Initials RC/SAT/BHH/EEH


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Background: THE UNITED STATES TONIGHT (THURSDAY) HAS WRITTEN TWO NEW CHAPTERS IN SPACE HISTORY -- A DRAMATIC RENDEZVOUS ACHIEVED BETWEEN GEMINI E 6 AND 7, AND THE CONTINUATION OF THE LONGEST MANNED SPACE FLIGHT IN HISTORY. THE GEMINI-6 TEAM, ASTRONAUTS SCHIRRA AND STAFFORD, WHO GUIDED THEIR CAPSULE TO THE FIRST RENDEZVOUS IN SPACE YESTERDAY, SPLASHED DOWN IN THE ATLANTIC RIGHT ON TIME AT 15.29 GMT TODAY ABOUT 800 MILES (1,280 KM) SOUTH-EAST OF CAPE KENNEDY. LATE, UNITED STATES OFFICIALS SAID THEY WERE CONSIDERING THE GEMINI-7 TEAM, BORMAN AND LOVELL, BACK TO EARTH TOMORROW MORNING AFTER A RECORD SPACE FLIGHT.

GEMINI-6 MADE THE BEST LANDING OF ANY SO FAR IN THE UNITED STATES SPACE PROGRAMME. SCHIRRA AND STAFFORD HIT THE OCEAN ONLY ABOUT II OR 12 MILES (17-18 KM) AWAY FROM THE RECOVERY AIRCRAFT CARRIER, WASP. THE SPACE-CRAFT CAME DOWN SAFELY UNDER BLUE SKIES IN AN AREA WHERE FIVE SHIPS AND 21 PLANES WERE WAITING.

THE WASP IMMEDIATELY TURNED TOWARDS THE CAPSULE AT 'TOP SPEED, AS SCHIRRA AND STAFFORD REPORTED "WE'RE IN GREAT SHAPE". ABOUT AN HOUR LATER THEY WERE HOISTED ABOARD, SMILING AND SHAKING HANDS. THEY WALKED DOWN A RED CARPET WITH A NAVY BAND PLAYING "ANCHORS AWEIGH", AS THOUSANDS OF SAILORS CHEERED WILDLY.

A PRELIMINARY MEDICAL CHECK SHOWED BOTH MEN TO BE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. SCHIRRA TOLD OFFICERS THAT THE GEMINI-6 MISSION HAD BEEN "IDEAL". "WE HAD NO TROUBLES WHATSOEVER", HE SAID. THE TWO MEN BROUGHT BACK REPORTS AND COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE FIRST MEETING IN SPACE, BUT IT WILL BE SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE THEY TELL THEIR STORY AT NEWS CONFERENCE.

(SPACE AGENCY OFFICIALS IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, SAID TONIGHT THAT GEMINI-7 WOULD PROBABLY CONTINUE ITS MISSION FOR THE FULL PLANNED TWO WEEKS. EARLIER, GEMINI-7 FLIGHT DIRECTOR, CHRISTOPHER KRAFT, SAID SERIOUS CONSIDERATION WAS BEING GIVEN TO BRINGING THE CAPSULE BACK TO EARTH TOMORROW MORNING -- ONE DAY EARLIER THAN PLANNED -- BECAUSE OF FUEL-CELL DIFFICULTIES.)