Article clipped from Albuquerque Journal

Astronauts Laud Gemini As Precursor to Shuttle By ERIN SHAY Of the Journal's Las Cruces Bureau ALAMOGORDO - Ter astronauts who took part in what astronaut John Young called "the good old Gemini program" were inducted Saturday into the International Space Hall of Fame. Young, James Lovell, David Scott, Eugene Cernan, Richard Gordon, Edwin Aldrin, James McDivitt, Edward White, Charles Conrad and Frank Borman were inducted in the largest ceremony since the Space Hall opened in 1976. All 10 astronauts took part in the Gemini program, which began in April 1964 and ended in November 1966. "Gemini was an oldie but a goodie if there ever was one," Young said. "We proved 16 years ago what humans can do out there. With that vital experience we know we can do solid, fundamental work in near-earth space with the space shuttle." Addressing the crowd at the inductions, space shuttle program manager Glynn Lunney said it was the Gemini program that gave the impetus to the Apollo and space shuttle programs. "We learned a lot in Gemini and what it gave us was confidence," Lunney said. "What we were able to do was set our course for the future. "Gemini made ali the difference," he said. "We could do work out there, we could do well, we didn't have to be ifraid and we could develop the tools wo needed for the future." Several of the astronauts at the induction said they foresaw the development of the shuttle as the natural outgrowth of Gemini. They were enthusiastic about the shuttle's contributions to United States technology. "We're going to have the biggest industrial revolution in the history of man in the next IS to 20 years," Cernan said. "It will be on an international basis. People are beginning to recognize not jur.t the technological spinoffs from the space program, but the whole usefulness of the space environment." Inapressconferer.ee Saturday, Gordon said commercialization of spacewillbethenextstepforthe United States. He said it will be a mater of convincing private industries they can be successful in space, and persuading the government to provide seed money for space operations.