Gemini 8 (officially Gemini VIII) was a 1966 manned spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. The mission conducted the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit. It was the 6th manned Gemini flight, the 12th manned American flight and the 22nd spaceflight of all time (including X-15 flights over 100 km).
March 16, 1966
Gemini VIII had two major objectives, of which it achieved one. The two objectives were:
The first major objective was accomplished b...
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Gemini 8 (officially Gemini VIII) was a 1966 manned spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. The mission conducted the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit. It was the 6th manned Gemini flight, the 12th manned American flight and the 22nd spaceflight of all time (including X-15 flights over 100 km).
March 16, 1966
Gemini VIII had two major objectives, of which it achieved one. The two objectives were:
The first major objective was accomplished by the spacecraft commander, Neil Armstrong, who piloted Gemini VIII to within 0.9 meters 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-program history. The Gemini VIII capsule, still docked to...
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