The Gemini 8 Flight Journal
Gemini 8
Part 12: Approaching the Agena
Corrected Transcript and Commentary Copyright © 2025 by Tracy L. Scott and W. David Woods. All rights reserved.
Last updated 2025-09-09
005:21:06 Armstrong: Okay. We need a readout at 7 minutes, which is a minute from now. Is that correct?
005:21:13 Scott: That's correct. A minute from now.
005:21:16 Armstrong: Okay. Here goes on the antenna.
005:21:23 Armstrong: 270 coming out.
005:21:25 Armstrong: 270. I have a MAP.
05:21:27
005:21:30 Scott: Yes. That gave us a little radar glitch when you did that.
005:21:33 Armstrong: That's interesting.
005:21:36 Armstrong: Okay. I have a solution here. At 4.5, 10-feet-per-second down.
005:21:52 Armstrong: I need a readout in 20 seconds.
005:22:11 Scott: 4, 3, 2, 1...
005:22:18 Armstrong: Sorry. Turn it off.
005:22:28 Scott: Don't have a good visual.
005:22:59 Scott: We're still inside the curve.
005:23:23 Armstrong: How much?
005:23:25 Scott: See, right there.
005:23:59 Scott: Hey, now it's getting our boresights up.
This is Gemini Control, Houston at 5 hours, 24 minutes into the flight, some 11 minutes after the Terminal Phase Initiate burn and according to our plots the spacecraft should be about 17 miles below and beneath the Agena. We've had no further word via the Tananarive station. We are standing by here on the premise that they will call us when they have some new information for us. This is Gemini Control, Houston.
005:24:16 Armstrong: Think those zeros might be lagging a little bit.
005:24:45 Scott: Okay. 30 seconds to go.
005:24:49 Armstrong: Okay.
005:25:09 Scott: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
005:25:23 Armstrong: Might have been a tenth lower than one you read.
005:25:57 Armstrong: This gives me up just a little - not much.
005:26:23 Armstrong: Oh boy! This is bad!
005:26:28 Scott: 4 forward.
005:26:30 Armstrong: And 2½ up.
005:26:33 Scott: That sounds more like it.
005:26:59 Armstrong: Now we're getting 12 forward, 1 right, 6 up.
005:27:04 Scott: 12 forward, 1 right.
005:27:08 Armstrong: Yes.
005:27:09 Scott: And 6 up?
005:27:11 Armstrong: Yes.
005:27:13 Scott: Your choice.
005:27:15 Armstrong: Okay. We'll burn the Closed Loop.
005:27:18 Armstrong: Ready?
005:27:21 Scott: Any time.
005:27:23 Armstrong: 3, 2, 1, burning.
005:27:35 Scott: There's 10 seconds.
005:27:52 Scott: Okay. At 13 minutes we'll need a readout, which is coming up in 15 seconds.
005:27:59 Armstrong: Okay. I'll be on.
005:28:11 Scott: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
005:28:17 Armstrong: It's on.
005:28:42 Armstrong: 12 miles out.
005:28:52 Armstrong: Oh, that looks good!
005:28:54 Armstrong: Elliptic - we must have had an ellipticity because we're - swinging into it.
005:28:59 Scott: We're swinging into it?
005:29:01 Armstrong: Yes.
005:29:06 Armstrong: Okay. We're getting a little Out-Of-Plane now.
005:29:21 Armstrong: Boresight's holding pretty well.
005:29:30 Scott: Half-way point now.
005:29:40 Armstrong: Wasn't on very good. I was about a degree off.
005:29:42 Scott: Okay. I'll get it later.
005:29:57 Armstrong: You on now?
005:29:59 Scott: Any time you say.
005:30:06 Armstrong: Okay.
005:30:25 Armstrong: I'm about two-tenths high, I think.
005:30:44 Armstrong: Now we're getting some error [garble].
005:30:59 Armstrong: An error, I'm afraid.
005:31:06 Scott: Got a Mark in 10 seconds - about 10 seconds.
005:31:09 Armstrong: Okay.
005:31:12 Scott: 4, 3, 2, 1...
This is Gemini Control, Houston. Still no further word. We have talked with Jim Lovell, the Spacecraft Communicator at this point. He says he is hesitant to contact the crew because this is one of the most difficult parts of the flight. Both crewmen are quite busy, Dave doing his mathematical exercises in the final approach, and Neil controlling the thrusters. They are now east of the Tananarive station. We expect to hear from them again in about 15 minutes. Make that 10 minutes when the Coastal Sentry Quebec acquires off the east coast of China and during the course of that pass they should go into their Terminal Phase Final. We have been advised that some of these events like the final approach and certain of the docking, lets make that read the final approach, will take place in daylight, in other words, several minutes, perhaps five minutes past the sunrise line out there this morning. At 5 hours, 30 minutes into the mission; this is Gemini Control, Houston.
005:32:33 Armstrong: Range-Rate is pretty erratic, I'm afraid.
005:32:47 Scott: We've got to get 3 aft and 2½ up.
005:32:49 Armstrong: Okay. I like that.
005:32:59 Scott: Still sliding out in front of me, but getting into the old slot.