The Corned Beef Sandwich Incident

March 23, 1965 marked one of NASA’s more “corny” moments. It was on that that… well, let me explain:

Project Gemini was the bridge between the Mercury and Apollo NASA space programs. Mercury proved NASA had the capability to put man into Earth orbit, and Gemini set out with a new set of goals, including: putting multiple astronauts into orbit aboard the same craft, learning how to walk in space, practicing rendezvous and docking between crafts, and testing the influence of long-term spaceflights. All of these were necessary to begin the Apollo program and its goal to put a man on the Moon (and bring him back home safely!) before the end of the decade.

Following two unmanned Gemini missions, Gemini III was the first manned mission in the program and carried Command Pilot Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom and Pilot John W. Young. Gus Grissom became the first human to fly into space twice, while John Young took his rookie flight.

The Gemini III capsule orbited the Earth three times on March 23, 1965, over the course of just under five hours.

Then, at 1 hour, 52 minutes, and 26 seconds into the mission… it happened.

Grissom: What is it? Young: Corn beef sandwich. Grissom: Where did that come from? Young: I brought it with me. Let’s see how it tastes. Smells, doesn’t it? Grissom: Yes, it’s breaking up. I’m going to stick it in my pocket. Young: Is it? Young: It was a thought, anyway. Grissom: Yep. Young: Not a very good one. Grissom: Pretty good, though, if it would just hold together.

John Young, through the aid of fellow astronaut Wally Schirra, had smuggled aboard a corned beef sandwich. Young and Grissom shared a few bites, but it began to crumble and little bits of it began to float around inside the capsule. It was quickly stowed away, to prevent the pieces from shorting out any sensitive electronic equipment.

Young, Grissom, and Schirra caught flack for the incident after Gemini III returned to Earth — as did NASA, by members of Congress that were looking for an excuse to cut agency funding. A Congressional Committee even held a hearing over the ordeal, prompting NASA administrators to promise to Congress and the nation, that they had taken steps to prevent the recurrence of corned beef sandwiches on future flights!

And that’s the story of the first corned beef sandwich in space.

Originally published at 46blyz.com on March 23, 2012.