1966: Gemini 8 (NASA)

Gemini 8 was a 1966 manned spaceflight in NASA's Gemini programme. It was the 6th manned Gemini flight, the 12th manned American flight and the 22nd spaceflight of all time.

The first major objective was accomplished by the spacecraft commander, Neil Armstrong, who piloted Gemini VIII to within 0.9 metres of the prelaunched Agena Target Vehicle, then slowly docked. This was the world's first orbital docking. The second objective was to have been accomplished by Pilot David Scott, who was to spend up to two hours outside of the spacecraft, but subsequent events cancelled the planned space-walk.

What followed the successful docking by Armstrong were some of the most hair-raising few minutes in space-programme history. The Gemini VIII capsule, still docked to the Agena, began rolling continuously. Never having faced this in simulation, the crew undocked from the Agena. The problem was a stuck thruster on the spacecraft, which now tumbled even faster at the dizzying rate of one revolution per second. The only way to stop the motion was to use the capsule's reentry control thrusters, which meant that Armstrong and Scott had to cut short their mission and make an emergency return to Earth 10 hours after launch. They were still nauseated after splashdown, as well as disappointed: Scott had missed out on the planned space-walk.

Credit: NASA

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• iaf
• 1966
• nasa
• space
• gemini
• agena

[dwmzmm]

Not many realized how close Armstrong & Scott

came to death. They definitely did have the

right stuff. Great footages.

[EmilyAlwayz]

those guys were some kinda special right stuff

people,

[blindescape01]

@5:32 thats Jim Lovell

[GelandnaleG]

3:19

[Slatch35]

how the heck did they go number 2????

[UdallIn72]

@bobbya16

I'm not sure it would have been the end of the program. This was before Apollo 1, remember. Armstrong and Scott would have been the first operational fatalities, and, as hindsight has shown, NASA and the public were willing to tolerate at least THREE casualties and continue on.

My understanding of the technical problem on 8 is that it wasn't that difficult to fix--it was just a stuck thruster.

[bobbya16]

@mikefastener ..oh we have plenty of heros, just none are like Neil....

[mikefastener]

@bobbya16 You guys (Americans) need heros again! Besides your troops, there doesn't seem to be anyone that is a role model!

[bobbya16]

@mikefastener ...I have heard that from several people that were lucky enough to meet him.....he is one of a kind!

[mikefastener]

@bobbya16 Agreed! One personal comment...Armstrong was a director for Eaton Corporation (of which, I was a senior manager). He gave a speech in 2000 at our world wide leaders' conference in Atlanta. His tongue-in-cheek subject? "Why the World Should Love the Engineer!" Despite his reserved reputation, he was hilarious!

[bobbya16]

Neil Armstrong saved the space program that day...had they died in space, the program would have been set so far back there may not have been a moon landing...there will never be any one like Neil Armstrong again...

[indyauthor]

this is one of the few videos where you can hear that "titan screech" at launch when the valves open and the burn is ignited. it's amazing to see the faces of all those behind-the-scenes people in the trench, too. tutt99 is right - the performance of the flight crew in the face of disaster was a primary catalyst in their selections as commanders of their lunar missions - armstrong on apollo 11 and scott on apollo 15.