The Gemini 8 Flight Journal
Gemini 8
Part 10: Chasing the Agena
Corrected Transcript and Commentary Copyright © 2025 by Tracy L. Scott and W. David Woods. All rights reserved.
Last updated 2025-09-03
000:07:44 Armstrong: [Garble]. Losing all star reference here at about 19 minutes. The stars are disappearing and I have [garble] underneath.
004:07:53 CSQ CC: Gemini VIII, CSQ. Comm check. How do you read? Over.
004:07:57 Scott: Gemini VIII, CSQ. We read you loud and clear.
004:07:59 CSQ CC: Roger. We have you Go on the ground. All systems are Go.
004:08:03 Scott: Okay. Everything looks all right here.
004:08:05 CSQ CC: Okay. What we'd like you to do is turn your Encoder off. We'd like to send the Agena load to clear out all the Agena memory.
004:08:12 Scott: Okay. Stand by.
004:08:26 Scott: Okay. The Encoder is off.
004:08:28 CSQ CC: Roger. Thank you.
Gemini Control, Houston here; 4 hours, 10 minutes into the flight. Gemini 8 now in contact with the Coastal Sentry Quebec, some 5, 700 miles south of Japan and the conversation is going sanething like this.
004:08:39 Scott: CSQ, Gemini VIII.
004:08:41 CSQ CC: Go ahead.
004:08:42 Scott: Got a data point. Ready to copy?
004:08:43 CSQ CC: Go ahead.
004:08:45 Scott: Data Point 10: 4.8, 126.65, 156, 290.8, 604. Looks like we're about 5 minutes late.
004:08:59 CSQ CC: Roger. Copy.
CSQ CC: Houston Flight, CSQ, we have initiated the Agena load, we have memory compare, we are getting a memory read out at this time.
Houston Flight: Roger.
004:09:50 CSQ CC: Gemini VIII, CSQ. You can turn your recorder back on at this time.
004:09:54 Scott: Okay. Got it back on.
CSQ CC: Flight, CSQ.
Houston Flight: Go ahead.
CSQ CC: Roger, we are showing an indication that the tape recorder is off at this time. We are checking it.
Houston Flight: Tape recorder is off? Tape recorder is off? On Gemini?
CSQ CC: That's affirmative.
Houston Flight: CSQ, Flight.
CSQ CC: Go ahead, Flight.
Houston Flight: Will you get a PCM count on that ACS control gas pressure end temperature?
004:11:20 Armstrong: CSQ, Gemini VIII with a data point. Ready?
004:11:23 CSQ CC: Go ahead.
004:11:24 Scott: Number 12: 6.2, 121.59, 151, 273.4, 570.
004:11:36 CSQ CC: Okay. I copy.
Gemini Control here. While the convereation continues, we show - we read the spacecraft and the Agena now separated by approximately 100 nautical miles. That will be at 4 hours and 12 minutes into the flight. Let's go back to the conversation.
Houston Flight: CSQ, Houston.
CSQ CC: Go ahead, Houston.
Houston Flight: Can we have a contingency Charlie on the Agena please?
CSQ CC: Roger.
004:12:56 Scott: CSQ, Gemini VIII with another point. Ready?
004:12:590 Scott: 5.6, 119.05, 152, 273.4, 564.
004:13:10 CC: Roger. That's the Data Point 13. Affirmative?
004:13:13 Scott: That's correct.
004:23:25 Hawaii CC: Gemini VIII, Hawaii CapCom.
004:23:32 Armstrong: Go ahead, Hawaii.
004:23:33 Hawaii CC: Roger. We'd like you to turn the Recorder off. We're going to reconfigure the beacons and get a tape dump.
004:23:38 Armstrong: Okay. Recorder coming off.
004:23:41 Hawaii CC: And will you place your T/M switch to Real-Time/Delay-Time position, please?
SC: Real-Time/Delay-Time.
Hawaii CC: Flight, Hawaii has both vehicles Go.
Houston Flight: Roger, Hawaii.
004:24:45 Hawaii CC: Roger. Go ahead. Ready to copy.
004:24:57 Scott: Point Number 20: 7.4, 101.07, 155, 216.9, 452.
004:25:01 Hawaii CC: Roger. Copy.
004:25:42 Hawaii CC: Gemini VIII, Hawaii. We'd like to get an OAMS Propellant readout when you have a minute.
004:25:46 Scott: 75 percent.
004:25:48 Hawaii CC: Copy. 75.
Houston Flight: Hawaii, Flight.
Hawaii CC: Hawaii, go ahead.
Houston Flight: How about the dump?
Hawaii CC: Roger, the dump's in progress now.
Houston Flight: Okay. I didn't hear you ask for that.
Hawaii CC: We commanded the tape recorder. It was in command position.
Houston Flight: Spacecraft?
004:26:43 Hawaii CC: Roger. Ready to copy.
004:26:47 Scott: Number 21: 7.0, 98.50, 154, 207.4, 434.
004:26:58 Hawaii CC: Flight copies.
004:28:02 Scott: Hawaii, Gemini VIII with another point.
004:28:05 Hawaii CC: Ready to copy.
004:28:06 Scott: Number 22: 7.4, 95.93, 159, 201.9, 421.
004:28:19 Hawaii CC: Roger. Copy. And you can place your T/M switch back to Real-Time/ACQ-Aid position.
004:28:23 Scott: Real-Time/ACQ-Aid.
Hawaii CC: Now, Flight, Hawaii.
Houston Flight: Go ahead, Hawaii.
Hawaii CC: Roger, we completed the Gemini tape dump. And we got a five-minute dump on the Agena but we weren't able to position the tape.
Houston Flight: Stand by. That's okay, Hawaii.
Hawaii CC: Roger. And are you copying these data points?
Houston Flight: Roger. Yeah, we're getting them.
Houston Flight: Hawaii, Flight.
Hawaii CC: Hawaii, go ahead.
Houston Flight: Have you got the beacons reconfigured?
Hawaii CC: That's affirmstive.
Houston Flight: How about those PCM counts?
Hawaii CC: Stand by.
Houston Flight: Okay.
Hawaii CC: Flight, Hawaii.
Houston Flight: Go.
Hawaii CC: What PCM counts would you like?
Houston Flight: That's ECS gas pressure and temperature, D059, D070.
Hawaii CC: Copy.
Houston Flight: Hawaii, Houston Flight.
Hawaii CC: Hawaii, go ahead.
Houston Flight: What was the problem with getting the tape reconfigured?
Hawaii CC: We just didn't get the change of state, Flight, so we left it on. We did get a five-minute dump.
Houston Flight: Okay. Understand.
Hawaii CC: Flight, Hawaii.
Houston Flight: Go, Hawaii.
Hawaii CC: Roger, we had LOS before we were able to get those PCM counts and we did get the recorder positioned on the Agena.
Houston Flight: Roger.
Hawaii CC: We must have missed the request for those PCM counts.
Houston Flight: That's my fault. I asked you for that in addition. Not to worry - we'll get it from Guaymas.
Hawaii CC: Roger.
Houston Flight: Guaymas, Flight.
Guaymas CC: Go ahead, Flight.
Houston Flight: Do you have your special - your MI?
Guaymas CC: That's affirmative.
Houston Flight: Okay. It's all yours.
Guaymas CC: Roger. Flight, Guaymas.
Houston Flight: Go ahead.
004:36:13 Guaymas CC: Gemini VIII, Guaymas CapCom. We have you Go on the ground. We are standing by.
004:36:44 Armstrong: Guaymas, Gemini VIII with a data point.
004:36:47 Guaymas CC: Go ahead.
004:36:48 Armstrong: Number 27: 8.4, 83.26, 149, 166.9, 349.
004:37:00 Guaymas CC: Guaymas copy.
Guaymas CC: Both birds still looking good, Flight.
Houston Flight: Roger.
Guaymas CC: Those PCM counts are still the same, Flight.
Houston Flight: Roger, Guaymas.
004:38:07 Armstrong: Gemini VIII with a point. Ready to copy?
004:38:11 Armstrong: Number 28: 9.1, 80.75, 151, 157.8, 332.
004:38:23 CC: Guaymas copy.
This is Gemini Control, Houston; at 4 hours, 39 minutes into the flight of Gemini 8. Since Hawaii, we've heard Dave Scott calling out some of these values, the plots on his angle of his target, the Agena target, the range, the range rates, and other values. A series of numbers which he does not break and probably will not be understandable without the proper chart. But this is how the conversation has gone since Hawaii.
Guaymas CC: Flight, Guaymas. That S-band transponder's risen about 3 degrees since acquisition - it's at 108 degrees [Fahrenheit, 42°C] now.
Houston Flight: One zero eight?
Guaymas CC: Roger.
004:39:53 Scott: Guaymas, Gemini VIII with a point.
004:39:54 Guaymas CC: Go ahead.
004:39:55 Scott: Number 29: 8.9, 78.27, 152, 150.5, 318.
004:40:04 Guaymas CC: Guaymas copy.
004:40:13 Lovell: This is Houston [garble].
004:40:15 Scott: Say again.
004:40:17 Lovell: This is Houston. We have it and we also have your ground TPI backup when you're ready to copy.
004:40:23 Scott: Stand by.
004:40:26 Scott: Okay. We've got a visual on the Agena at 76 [nautical] miles.
004:40:30 Lovell: Roger. Understand visual on Ageua, 76 miles.
004:40:35 Scott: At least we have some object in sight, something that looks like it could be the Agena.
004:40:44 Lovell: Understand a visual Agena or Sirius, 76 miles.
004:40:47 Scott: Yes, it could be a planet.
