Celebrating Gemini – Symposium with Gemini Astronaut Dick Gordon / Fall Dinner and Dance

 The Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum will celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the Gemini Space Program of the 1960’s, honoring the men and women who inspired a nation and put America first in manned space flight.

There will be two separate events: a symposium during the day, and the museum’s annual Fall Dinner and Dance in the evening.

The symposium is being hosted by the Maryland Air National Guard 175th Wing at Martin State Airport in Middle River (Eastern Blvd & RT 43 entrance gate). The event is open to the public and offers a learning experience about the importance of Gemini.

Astronaut Dick Gordon, who flew on the Gemini XI and Apollo XII missions, will participate, along with shuttle astronauts and people who were involved in the program in Maryland.

The symposium will feature two panels: The morning session runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and will give an overview of Project Gemini and the views of people who worked on the program.

The afternoon session will be from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and focuses on the major advances that came from the program in spacewalking and docking.

The public will be able to ask questions after the presentations, which should be limited to queries about Project Gemini because of time constraints. The program is free.

Attendees must pre-register either on-line at: www.GeminiXLV.com, or by phone at the Museum hotline (410-682-8699).

The Dinner and Dance will be held at the Sparrows Point Country Club in southeastern Baltimore County from 6 to 10 p.m.

Attendees can dance the night away with Baltimore favorite, the Ellis Woodward Trio. Included in the evening's festivities is a silent auction. Tickets are $60 for Museum members and $75 for non members and are available at the Museum or online at www.GeminiXLV.com. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Museum's education and restoration programs.

Honorary chairs for the events are retired NASA Astronaut Dr. Tom Jones and retired Brigadier General Guy Walsh, who will be saluting the accomplishments of Project Gemini, which was conducted from 1964-66 between the Mercury and Apollo projects.

The Glenn L. Martin Company designed and manufactured the Titan II rockets that launched all 12 of the Gemini missions.

Attendees can bid on auction items provided by the following organizations: Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Chapter of the American Rosie the Riveter Association, Baltimore City Historical Society, Baltimore Museum of Industry, Evergreen Museum & Library/ Homewood Museum, Mount Clare Museum House, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, IKEA, TD Bank, Toby's Dinner Theatre, Woodhall Winery and more. A photo montage from Tom Jones' Atlantis shuttle mission, including a mission patch flown on STS-98 in 2001 signed by the five crew members will be included.

For information and directions to Sparrows Point Country Club visit their web site at: http://www.sparrowspointcc.org/. For additional information, visit the Museum's web site at: http://www.marylandaviationmuseum.org/ or call 410-682-6122. The event web site is: www.GeminiXLV.com

The Museum is on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/glm.marylandaviationmuseum.