Hatch, Left Hand, Gemini 7

This hatch was one of two removed from the Gemini 7 spacecraft after flight and was stored at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center) in Houston. Astronauts Frank Borman and James A. Lovell Jr. were launched into orbit aboard Gemini 7 on December 4, 1965. Their primary mission was to show that humans could live in weightlessness for 14 days, a space endurance record that would stand until 1970. Their spacecraft also served as the target vehicle for Gemini 6-A, piloted by Walter M. Schirra Jr. and Thomas P. Stafford, who carried out the world's first space rendezvous on December 15. These two achievements were critical steps on the road to the Moon.

In 1970 it was transferred to the Smithsonian from NASA.