1966-020A
The Gemini Titan Agena 8 mission was an important milestone in space technology and the race to the Moon. For the first time, two spacecraft were linked together in orbit. The Agena target was orbited first, followed by Gemini spacecraft 8.
After rendezvous, Gemini 8 spent time stationkeeping while waiting for the RKV tracking ship to come into range,after which they approached the Agena.
At 2340 a stuck thruster on Gemini put the docked craft into a tumble. Armstrong, suspecting the Agena to be at fault, undocked, and the Gemini began to spin more rapidly. Armstrong had to use the reentry thrusters to cancel the spin, which by the mission rules mandated an emergency end to the mission.
The retrofire came over south China and Gemini VIII splashed down in the East Pacific. The spacecraft was recovered by the USS Leonard F. Mason.
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| GTA-8 |
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| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
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| 1966 Mar 16 | 1641:02 | Launch |
| | | T+0:41 3 km | -6368 x 4 x 28.5 |
| | | T+1:10 10.0 km | -6356 x 15 x 28.5 |
| | | T+2:00 35.4 km | -6247 x 60 x 29.0 |
| | | T+2:14 46.1 km | -6157 x 81 x 29.0 |
| | 1643:35 | T+2:33 BECO |
| | 1643:35 | T+2:33 Stage 1 sep 62.6km | -5924 x 124 x 29.5 |
| | | T+3:20 104.1 km | -5672 x 145 |
| | | T+4:26 145 km | -4818 x 160 |
| | | T+5:00 156 km | -3741 x 163 |
| | | T+5:34 160.5 km | -542 x 160 |
| | 1646:39 | T+5:37 SECO | 159 x 202 x 29.3 |
| | 1646:44 | T+5:42 Orbit insertion |
| | 1647:07 | T+6:05 Stage 2 sep | 160 x 285 x 29.0 |
| | 1647:07 | T+6:05 IVAR burn | 161 x 270 x 28.91 |
| | 1647:13 | T+6:11 IVAR OAMS off |
| | 1648 | T+7:35 Radar and horizon fairings jettison |
| | 1815:46 | T+1:34:44 Lower apogee 5s 1m/s |
| | 1859:36 | Phase Adj 15m/s 1:07 | 211 x 270 x 28.91 |
| | 1926:52 | Plane change (0.05deg) 35s 8m/s |
| | 1944:43 | Vernier HAdj 0.6m/s |
| | 2029 | Coelliptic NSR 19m/s 1:22 | 261 x 270 x 28.86 |
| | 2121 | Tally ho Agena |
| | 2155:56 | TPI 10m/s |
| | 2208:25 | MC burn |
| | 2220:22 | MC |
| | 2224:11 | TPF braking |
| | 2229 | 1 km from Agena |
| | 2237 | Rendezvous with Agena 5003 at 46m |
| | 2314:18 | Docking with Agena 5003 |
| | 2314:24 | Hard dock |
| | 2340 | Thruster problem |
| | 2356:15 | Undocked |
| | 2356 | Sep burn from Agena |
| | 2358 | Contact with CSQ |
| 1966 Mar 17 | 0000 | Spin recovery |
| | 0006 | Stabilized |
| | 0018 | Abort declared |
| | 0244:50 | Adapter module sep | 291.7 x 298.7 x 29.02 |
| | 0245:48 | Retro-1 fire over S China, 89m/s aft 35 down |
| | 0245:54 | Retro-3 |
| | 0245:59 | Retro-2 |
| | 0246:05 | Retro-4 |
| | 0246? | Retro module sep | 9 x 314 x 28.85 |
| | 0246? | Docking bar jettison |
| | 0307:48? | Entry | 6 x 309 |
| | 0322:28 | Splashdown in E Pacific |
| | 0638 | Recovered by USS Mason |
