The Gemini 8 Flight Journal
Gemini 8
Part 7: Plane adjust burn
Corrected Transcript and Commentary Copyright © 2025 by Tracy L. Scott and W. David Woods. All rights reserved.
Last updated 2025-09-02
002:25:35 Armstrong: Okay. Go ahead.
002:25:36 Carnarvon CC: Okay GET B: 02:45:50; Delta-V, 26.2; burn time, 0 plus 35; yaw 90 right, pitch 0; Cores 25 and 26 are zeros; Core 27, 90262; thrusters aft; Maneuver South. Over.
002:26:30 Armstrong: Roger. Understand. GET burn: 02:45:50; Delta-V, 26.2; 0 plus 35; yaw 90 right, pitch 0; 25 and 26 are all zeros; 27, 90262; aft thrusters; Maneuver South.
002:26:55 Carnarvon CC: Very good. You're looking real fine. Your Agena is looking real good, too.
002:26:59 Scott: Thank you.
002:27:01 Carnarvon CC: [Garble.]
002:27:03 Scott: All right.
002:27:59 Carnarvon CC: Okay. You're looking real good. We will hang loose here and keep quiet.
002:28:03 Armstrong: Roger. Understand.
002:28:08 Carnarvon CC: We'll see you tomorrow.
002:28:10 Armstrong: Oh, very well.
This is Gemini Control, Houston, at 2 hours, 40 minutes into the flight of Gemini 8. Presently our charts show the spacecraft 375 nautica1 miles away from its Agena target vehicle and the mission progressing very nicely. The crew completed their second maneuver between Tananarive and Carnarvon at the appointed time on this last pass across the Indian Ocean. We have a tape of the conversation confirming that maneuver with Carnarvon and we'll play it for you now.
This is Gemini Control, Houston. That concludes the Carnarvon discussion. We had hoped the spacecraft would be within the Hawaii sphere of acquisition for this upcoming burn, which is to take place one minute from now, at 2 hours, 45 minutes and 47 seconds. A burn requiring 26.2 delta-V, 26.2 feet per second, at the conclusion of this burn the fuel remaining on board is estimated at 643 pounds which should be more than adequate for the terminal phase maneuvers which use so much fuel during a rendezvous mission. This is Gemini Control, Houston.
002:46:03 Scott: That's 2 minutes to go.
002:46:05 Armstrong: Okay.
002:46:11 Scott: 20 seconds until [garble].
002:46:13 Armstrong: Okay.
002:46:20 Scott: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35,
002:46:27 Armstrong: I think we overdid it a little. We should have stopped a little bit early.
002:46:33 Scott: 31 is minus 0004.
002:46:35 Armstrong: Now according to my - turn a little left.
002:46:42 Armstrong: Okay.
002:46:43 Armstrong: Okay now [garble].
002:46:49 Scott: 000 [garble].
002:46:51 Armstrong: Plus, over, now a little down.
002:47:00 Scott: [Garble.]
002:47:07 Armstrong: It's in.
002:47:39 Scott: Push in the little [garble].
002:47:41 Armstrong: [Garble.]
002:47:50 Armstrong: See, I think it takes us a little while for it to work on it. To process it. That accelerometer [garble].
002:47:52 Armstrong: [Garble.]
002:47:53 Scott: [Garble.]
002:49:13 Hawaii CC: Gemini VIII, Hawaii.
002:49:16 Armstrong: Go ahead, Hawaii.
002:49:18 Hawaii CC: Roger. We have you Go and I have an Agena acquisition update when you're ready to copy.
002:49:24 Armstrong: Roger. Go ahead. I have - I'd like to have you take a look at our cabin pressure. We're presently reading 5.1.
002:49:31 Hawaii CC: Stand by.
002:49:40 Hawaii CC: Roger. We have a ground readout of 5.25.
002:49:44 Armstrong: Okay. We'll keep an eye on it.
002:49:46 Hawaii CC: Roger.
Houston Flight: That's okay, Hawaii. That's a good number.
002:49:50 Armstrong: Go ahead with the acquisition.
002:49:53 Hawaii CC: Roger. GET of acquisition: 3 plus 07; GET of R = 248 nm; GET rendezvous, 3 plus 15; azimuth, 0 degrees; elevation, 7 degrees; GET sunrise at TPI 05:37:00, plus or minus 1 minute. Do you copy?
002:50:58 Armstrong: Roger. Understand GET of acquisition is 03:07; GET of R = 248 nm; GET of rendezvous 03:15; azimuth, 0 degrees; elevation, 7 degrees; GET of sunrise, 05:37:00 plus or minus one for TPI. And do you have the update for Addresses 24, 53 and 54?
002:51:29 Hawaii CC: Negative. Stand by.
002:51:31 Armstrong: Okay.
Hawaii CC: Flight, do you hear?
Houston Flight: Roger.
Houston Flight: Hawaii CapCom, Flight.
Hawaii CC: Go ahead.
Houston Flight: Okay. 24, 53, and 54 are nominal.
Hawaii CC: Understand - 23, 24, are all nominal.
Houston Flight: 24, 53, and 54.
Hawaii CC: Roger.
Hawaii CC: Hawaii copied, 24, 53, and 54 are all nominal.
Houston Flight: Ask him how the burn went there, Hawaii.
Hawaii CC: Roger. Do you want me to update 24, 53, and 54 all nominal? Over.
Houston Flight: That's right.
002:53:11 Hawaii CC: Gemini VIII, Hawaii.
002:53:13 Armstrong: Go ahead.
002:53:15 Hawaii CC: Roger. Addresses 24, 53 and 54: all nominal and we'd like to know how your burn went.
002:53:23 Armstrong: Okay. Understand. All nominal on the addresses and the burn was on time and the residuals null.
002:53:28 Hawaii CC: Roger. Copy.
Houston Flight: How are those Agena SPCs coming along, Hawaii?
Hawaii CC: They all clocked out on time, Flight.
Houston Flight: Hawaii, Houston Flight.
Hawaii CC: Hawaii, go ahead.
Houston Flight: Can we have a quantity read, there, please, on the propellant.
Hawaii CC: Quantity read on OAMS propellant?
Houston Flight: That's right.
002:54:24 Hawaii CC: Gemini VIII, Hawaii.
002:54:24 Armstrong: Go ahead.
002:54:28 Hawaii CC: Could we get a reading on your OAMS Propellant remaining, please?
002:54:35 Armstrong: 85 percent.
002:54:36 Hawaii CC: Copy 85. Thank you.
002:54:38 Armstrong: Roger on that.
Houston Flight: Roger, I got that.
Hawaii CC: Did you copy, Flight?
Houston Flight: Yep.
Hawaii CC: Flight, Hawaii has Agena LOS. All functions clocked out on time, and it was Go.
Houston Flight: Roger.
Hawaii CC: Hawaii has Gemini LOS.
Houston Flight: Roger.
