Gemini 8 was a crewed NASA mission commanded by Neil Armstrong, with David Scott as pilot. Its main goal was to dock with an unmanned Agena target vehicle, a skill needed for the Apollo lunar landings, and it achieved the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit. Shortly afterwards, a stuck thruster on the Gemini capsule caused the combined craft to start rolling rapidly. Armstrong undocked, but the capsule then spun even faster, until he shut off the main control system and used the re-entry thrusters to stop the spin. The mission was cut short, and the craft made an emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean. Armstrong's calm response was later highly regarded.
Before and after
- from 24 January 1966 to 6 March 1966Operation Masher
- 31 January 1966Launch of Luna 9
- 3 March 1966Birth of Mikhail Mishustin
- 5 March 1966Death of Anna Akhmatova
- 16 March 1966Launch of Gemini 8
- 31 March 1966Launch of Luna 10
- from 16 May 1966 to 6 October 1976Cultural Revolution
- 26 May 1966Birth of Helena Bonham Carter
- 29 May 1966Construction of Estadio Azteca
More in Universe & space
- 1 May 1949Discovery of Nereid
- 20 August 1977Launch of Voyager 2
- 16 June 1989Discovery of Proteus
- 23 July 1995Discovery of Comet Hale-Bopp
- 15 May 2005Discovery of Nix
- 10 September 2005Discovery of Dysnomia
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.