Gemini VIII

Hey everyone,

Gemini VIII was the sixth manned space flight of Project Gemini with Neil Armstrong as the command pilot and David Scott as the pilot. This would be their first spaceflight. There were two primary objectives for this mission: to accomplish an in-orbit rendezvous and docking and to accomplish an extended EVA. The vehicle with which they were to dock was known as the Agena. It was launched the same day as the Gemini VIII crew and would dock the same day. They approached the craft slowly and inspected it once they flew near the craft. After confirming that there was no damage, Armstrong docked with the Agena, and their first objective was complete. The mission would continue with the Agena attached, and the craft would aid in steering. After executing a turn with the Agena, the craft started to roll. Eventually, the roll would be able to be fixed, so they undocked with the Agena. However, the roll began again. The roll would reach one revolution per second putting the lives of the astronauts in danger. Finally, on the verge of blackout, Armstrong used the Re-entry Control System reaction control system (RCS) to stop the spin. It worked, but the mission was now done due to mission parameters that stated a mission had to be aborted once the RCS was activated. They orbited once before they re-entered and landed. The Pacific Ocean near Japan was the landing site. Due to their excellent ability and cool headedness in handling the situation, Armstrong and Scott were given prominent roles in later spaceflights. Of course, these will be discussed in later posts.