Astronauts position in reentry capsule

[DonManuel]

I found this diagram of the Gemini capsule, showing the position of the astronauts:

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/3051/gemini.jpg

I understand that the astronauts are facing back, since drag will be large. Max g's during Gemini's entry were about 5, and L/D ~ 0.2. However, why are they upside-down? Lift will pull blood to their heads, and I always thought this is a big no-no. Am I missing something here?

 

[mikeph]

I don't know a lot about this- but isn't it better to have blood in the head than blood in your legs, for fear of unconsciousness?

 

[Cyrus]

My guess would be because the g-forces will pull the blood away from their heads, so this mitigates the g-effect.

 

[FredGarvin]

Just looking at the diagram, the resultant force on the capsule will be somewhere between the lift and drag vector. If the drag is predominant then the line of action is pretty much perpendicular to the astronaut's body which seems to make sense to me. G-suits help prevent pooling in the extremities and keep it near the core and the brain.