photo #1894363

Gemini 8 splashed down earlier than planned on March 16, 1966, only 10 hours and 41 minutes after launch. The mission was aborted when the spacecraft went into uncommanded oscillations. The crew executed an emergency breakaway after docking with the orbiting Agena satellite. Neil Armstrong was piloting the spacecraft. He was forced to disable the thruster systems of the craft and use only the re-entry control system. He would land on the moon a little over three years later on Apollo 11.