![]() The target launch vehicle lifted from pad 14 at 10 o'clock in the morning. This time nothing marred the countdown of the Atlas-Agena or the Gemini space vehicle. On 16 March 1966, five months after Walter Schirra and Thomas Stafford had been left at the starting gate in NASA's first attempt to launch two vehicles toward rendezvous on the same day, NASA tried again. Alexander, Published as NASA Special Publication-4203 in the NASA History Series, 1977. Official NASA Account of the Mission from On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini, by Barton C. Two experiments were partially performed. Several secondary objectives were also achieved: rendezvous and docking during the fourth revolution, evaluating the auxiliary tape memory unit, demonstrating controlled reentry, and parking the GATV. Early termination of the mission precluded achieving all mission objectives, but one primary objective - rendezvous and docking - was accomplished. The recovery ship, the destroyer Leonard Mason, picked up both crew and spacecraft some three hours later. The spacecraft touched down less than 10 km from the planned landing point. The retrofire sequence was initiated in the seventh revolution, followed by nominal reentry and landing in a secondary recovery area in the western Pacific Ocean. Premature use of the RCS, however, required the mission to be terminated early. The crew undocked from the GATV and managed to bring the spacecraft under control by deactivating the OAMS and using the reentry control system (RCS) to reduce the spacecraft's rapid rotation. A major problem developed 27 minutes after docking, when a spacecraft orbit attitude and maneuver system (OAMS) thruster malfunctioned. Stationkeeping maneuvers preceded docking, which was accomplished at 6 hours 33 minutes ground elapsed time. Rendezvous phase ended at 5 hours 58 minutes ground elapsed time, with the spacecraft 150 feet from the GATV and no relative motion between the two vehicles. During the six hours following insertion, the spacecraft completed nine maneuvers to rendezvous with the GATV. ![]() The GATV was inserted into a nominal 161-nautical mile circular orbit, the spacecraft into a nominal 86 by 147-nautical mile elliptical orbit. Secondary objectives included rendezvous and docking during the fourth revolution, performing docked maneuvers using the GATV primary propulsion system, executing 10 experiments, conducting docking practice, performing a re-rendezvous, evaluating the auxiliary tape memory unit, demonstrating controlled reentry, and parking the GATV in a 220-nautical mile circular orbit. Primary objectives of the scheduled three-day mission were to rendezvous and dock with the Gemini Agena target vehicle (GATV) and to conduct extravehicular activities. Although the flight was cut short by the incident, one of the primary objectives - rendezvous and docking (the first docking of two spacecraft in orbital flight) - was accomplished. EST March 16 and Armstrong and Scott were picked up by the destroyer U.S.S. Although the crew wanted to press on with the mission and Scott's planned space walk, ground control ordered an emergency splashdown in the western Pacific during the seventh revolution. The problem arose again and when the yaw and roll rates became too high the crew shut the main Gemini reaction control system down and activated and used both rings of the reentry control system to reduce the spacecraft rates to zero. Near structural limits and blackout, Armstrong undocked, figuring the problem was in the Agena, which only made it worse. A stuck thruster on Gemini put the docked assembly into a wild high speed gyration. ![]() About 27 minutes later the spacecraft-Agena combination encountered unexpected roll and yaw motion. This first successful docking with an Agena target vehicle was followed by a major space emergency. The spacecraft and its target vehicle rendezvoused and docked, with docking confirmed 6 hours 33 minutes after the spacecraft was launched. The Gemini VIII spacecraft followed from Launch Complex 19 at 11:41 a.m., with command pilot Neil A. The Atlas-Agena target vehicle for the Gemini VIII mission was successfully launched from KSC Launch Complex 14 at 10 a.m. Location: Neil Armstrong Museum, Wapakoneta, OH. An emergency landing in the mid-Pacific Ocean followed. After docking with Agena target, a stuck thruster aboard Gemini resulted in the crew nearly blacking out before the resulting spin could be stopped. Home - Search - Browse - Alphabetic Index: 0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9Ī- B- C- D- E- F- G- H- I- J- K- L- M- N- O- P- Q- R- S- T- U- V- W- X- Y- Zįirst docking of two spacecraft.
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