The Gemini 8 Flight Journal
Gemini 8
Part 14: Station-keeping
Corrected Transcript and Commentary Copyright © 2025 by Tracy L. Scott and W. David Woods. All rights reserved.
Last updated 2025-09-09
005:59:23 Armstrong: 231, coming up.
005:59:25 Armstrong: I didn't get it. We'll have to pitch down a little bit here.
005:59:35 Scott: We're on a radar Standby. No wonder.
005:59:37 Scott: Radar On.
005:59:38 Armstrong: Was it Standby?
005:59:39 Scott: It was Standby [garble].
005:59:41 Armstrong: Okay.
005:59:44 Scott: Okay. 231.
005:59:48 Armstrong: Got a Map?
005:59:52 Scott: I can't find it.
006:00:18 Hawaii CC: Gemini VIII, Hawaii.
006:00:20 Armstrong: Go ahead.
006:00:23 Hawaii CC: Roger. Would you turn off your Encoder, please?
006:00:30 Armstrong: Okay.
006:00:35 Armstrong: Doing a little POA work up here.
006:00:43 Scott: Our Agena looks in fine shape. The TDA is out. It's Rigidized. The whiskers are sticking out as expected on the TDA. The dipole is up. The engine looks good. And we've turned the ACQ lights off.
006:00:45 Hawaii CC: Roger. Copy.
006:00:52 Scott: I don't believe it!
006:00:54 Hawaii CC: Gemini VIII. We'd also like an OAMS propellant reading.
006:00:56 Armstrong: We're at 55 percent.
006:00:59 Hawaii CC: Say 59?
006:01:01 Armstrong: That's 55 percent.
006:01:04 Hawaii CC: 55. Roger.
006:01:06 Hawaii CC: We're standing by to copy the Agena-Status Display Panel readings.
006:01:11 Scott: Yes, you better get it...
006:01:12 Armstrong: Okay. We'll have to get over on that side of it.
006:01:23 Scott: Better get busy...
006:01:24 Hawaii CC: Gemini VIII, Hawaii.
006:01:25 Armstrong: Station-keeping here.
006:01:26 Scott: Go ahead.
Neil Armstrong has given us a little update and he says the Agena looks fine, The antennas are all in the proper position. He described the TDA as looking fine, it is apparently no worse for the wear from 7 hours and 42 minutes in flight, and they are apparently maneuvering their spacecraft around in order to get some of the readings off the status display panel located just above the TDA. They are being given at this time, some yaw maneuver times, some other values. Lets tune in on it and follow the conversation live.
006:01:29 Hawaii CC: We have a Yaw Maneuver time for you, if you're ready to copy.
006:01:35 Scott: Okay. Go ahead.
006:01:37 Hawaii CC: Roger. Yaw Maneuver at 07:10:00. That's GET.
006:01:48 Scott: Roger. Understand. Yaw Maneuver 07:10:00.
006:01:52 Hawaii CC: Also, when you are at plus 96 degree heading, the Agena will go to Flight Control Mode 7 for 30 seconds.
006:02:04 Scott: Understand. 96 degree FC-7 for 30.
006:02:07 Hawaii CC: And the SPC load we're transmitting contains the Agena clock reset. We're very anxious for it to be executed even if it cuts short the Platform Parallelism.
006:02:20 Scott: What was that? Did you catch it?
006:02:23 Armstrong: No I didn't.
006:02:24 Armstrong: Say that last one again, please.
006:02:25 Hawaii CC: Roger. The SPC load we're transmitting contains a clock reset for the Agena.
006:02:33 Hawaii CC: We're anxious for it to be executed - even if it means cutting the Platform Parallelism test short.
006:02:41 Scott: Roger. Understand. The SPC has priority over the Platform Parallelism.
006:02:47 Scott: In essence. Is that right?
006:02:49 Hawaii CC: That's affirmative.
Hawaii CC: Flight, we are having difficulty getting a compare and necessity C load.
Houston Flight: Okay, let us know when you have got it. How about the tape dump?
Hawaii CC: Tape dump is doing fine.
Houston Flight: Roger.
Hawaii CC: Also their C band beacons have been reconfigured.
This is Gemini Control, Houston here. During the lull in the conversation... here we go again. Lets go back to the spacecraft.
Houston Flight: Go ahead.
Hawaii CC: We are unable to get some of the initial commands into the yaw maneuver necessity C load. It is still showing 0s.
Houston Flight: You have about enough time to retransmit. Do you want to do that?
Hawaii CC: Hawaii is retransmitting, Flight.
Houston Flight: If after this one you don't get it in, send inhibit and we will do it again over RKV.
Hawaii CC: Copy.
006:02:59 Armstrong: Man! That's great!
006:03:01 Scott: Man, that's really slick!
006:03:08 Armstrong: A bit of all right!
006:03:11 Scott: Okay. The first thing we really have to do - Platform Parallelism 06:50 to 07:10. They're giving us the SPC loaded Yaw Maneuver. It looks like at nominal time. So they're going to give you that time.
006:03:27 Scott: Now I'll check your little Status Display for you.
006:03:40 Scott: I bet those Lockheed guys are just jumping up and down.
006:03:41 Armstrong: The S-10 is on.
006:03:47 Armstrong: Okay.
006:03:52 Armstrong: Man, it flies easy: I'd love to let you do it, but...
006:03:57 Armstrong: I think I better get my practice while I can.
006:03:59 Scott: Man, I'll have my chance!
006:04:00 Armstrong: Get yours later. Okay?
006:04:04 Scott: Yes. I wouldn't even take it if you gave it to me.
006:04:09 Scott: It's up to you; stick with it.
006:04:11 Scott: More you get now, the better off you're going to be when...
006:04:13 Armstrong: Do we have STB bright?
006:04:16 Scott: Should have.
006:04:18 Scott: I think I'll get the section here in a minute and we'll be able to see something. Let me check the systems. Cabin pressure, that's good.
006:04:28 Scott: Your OAMS source pressure is 190.
006:04:35 Armstrong: 1900?
006:04:37 Scott: You always get me on those.
006:04:40 Scott: ECS O
2 is rather high. 810.
006:04:44 Armstrong: When that sun comes in, boy it is warm!
006:04:52 Armstrong: Man, this is easy!
006:04:53 Scott: Is it really?
006:04:54 Armstrong: This stationkeeping, there's nothing to it.
006:04:56 Armstrong: I can't understand why our recorder isn't working.
006:05:01 Scott: I don't either, except maybe it's not running.
006:05:04 Scott: Want me to turn to Off now?
006:05:07 Armstrong: Tape recorder is on but just doesn't budge now.
006:05:09 Armstrong: Sure does.
006:05:13 Scott: Oh, oh! Fuel Cell H
2 Heater circuit breaker popped.
006:05:20 Scott: I'm trying to reset it. It's reset.
006:05:25 Armstrong: Okay. Now a - this is - this is getting into station-keeping attitude for EDA. Boy [garble].
Houston Flight: Hawaii, Flight.
Hawaii CC: Flight, we are transmitting SPC disable.
Houston Flight: Roger. Hawaii, Flight, is that a memory readout or a memory compare?
Hawaii CC: We have tried for both, Flight. The memory readout shows zeros in quite a few of the commands.
Houston Flight: Roger.
Houston Flight: Hawaii, Flight.
Hawaii CC: Go ahead.
Houston Flight: Will you ask the crew when they first saw the acquisition lights as they came in.
Hawaii CC: When they first saw acquisition lights. Roger.
Houston Flight: Right.
006:06:01 Scott: Okay. I can see the Status Display. - Main Green, Secondary Hi, On; Secondary Lo, On; Power and Attitude, On.
006:06:11 Armstrong: Okay.
006:06:13 Armstrong: That means everything should be...
006:06:15 Scott: I can't see any dark line on those - just too far away now.
006:06:23 Armstrong: Okay.
006:06:25 Scott: I'll give this sextant a 1/10 - a little [garble].
006:06:30 Scott: We're still...
006:06:32 Hawaii CC: Gemini VIII, Hawaii.
006:06:33 Armstrong: Go ahead.
006:06:35 Hawaii CC: We'd like to know when you first saw the acquisition lights as you approached.
006:06:39 Armstrong: We'll have to go back on the data and dig that out.
006:06:42 Hawaii CC: Roger.
006:06:43 Armstrong: About 45 [garble].
006:06:44 Scott: No. No it's about 56 miles. Right?
006:06:52 Armstrong: No, not 56. I think it was 45 miles.
006:06:53 Scott: We think it was 45 miles, but we'll have to check on the tape.
006:06:56 Hawaii CC: Roger. Copy. And we're ready to copy the readouts if you have them now.
006:07:05 Hawaii CC: The readings from the Status Display Panel.
006:07:08 Armstrong: Roger. It looks like we're about a - 80 feet out still. And we have a Main Red, Off; Main Green, On; Armed, Off: Secondary Hi, On; Secondary Lo, On; Attitude, On; Rigid, Off; Power, On; and can't quite see the dock yet.
006:07:27 Hawaii CC: Roger. Copy.
006:07:32 Scott: We're using a sextant to get those.
006:07:37 Hawaii CC: Understand.
006:07:38 Scott: Pretty bright up here.
006:07:47 Hawaii CC: Roger. Copy.
Hawaii CC: Flight, did you copy?
Houston Flight: Roger, I got red off and green on and then I lost it. Do you want to come again. That's ok, we have got them all.
Hawaii CC: Roger, understand. Then he said that they can't give us the readings from the status display panel. They are using a sextant to get the information they have.
Houston Flight: Okay.
Hawaii CC: We have LOS at Hawaii.
Houston Flight: Roger.
This is Gemini Control, Houston. That will wrap up the conversation in Hawaii. The Flight Plan from here calls for the actual docking to take place over the Rose Knot Victor parked down off the east coast of South America. The Rose Knot Victor is to acquire the spacecraft at 6 hours, 32 minutes into the flight. We presently show 6 hours, 8 minutes into the flight. All in all the pilots are acting extremely "Ho-hum" about the whole thing. They were being urged here to say a bit more about their situation and if anything, I think they sounded more relaxed over Hawaii in reporting these events than they have sounded in any point during the flight. We have now the complete tape mf the pass. There may be some interest in listening to the initial contact. We will play the entire tape through for you at this time.
006:07:59 Armstrong: Okay. Now work it in - I guess the thing to do here is to align the Platform.
006:08:11 Armstrong: Right?
006:08:12 Armstrong: Let's see, how much time do we have?
006:08:16 Scott: We have an hour.
006:08:18 Armstrong: How much before REV? How much before the SPC Yaw?
006:08:24 Scott: That's an hour.
006:08:25 Armstrong: An hour from now?
006:08:27 Scott: But we ought to do the Platform Parallelism before then.
006:08:29 Scott: Pitch down so I can get the Moon in that dock.
006:08:49 Scott: Turn around so you can be looking. [Whispering] I wonder where the heck it is?
006:08:59 Scott: [Garble] okay. [Garble].
006:09:20 Scott: Where the heck is that?
006:09:28 Scott: Spotmeter is in the left-hand little food box. Can you get it out?
006:09:32 Armstrong: Okay. If you could be quiet for a minute.
006:09:35 Armstrong: Let's make sure we don't drift into it.
006:09:52 Scott: See a scanner and everything.
006:09:54 Scott: Okay. She's all yours.
006:10:03 Armstrong: Now you have to keep looking, for me, for a second.
006:10:11 Armstrong: Okay.
006:10:12 Scott: Okay. I'd like to get some pictures if I can - and I'd like to get some good ones.
006:10:25 Armstrong: I tried it [garble]. Darkside is [garble].
006:10:40 Scott: It's as stable as a rock. Isn't it?
006:11:08 Scott: It sure...
006:11:11 Scott: Can you go around and check the dock light?
006:11:13 Armstrong: What am I going to pick to align the Platform?
006:11:18 Scott: Where you going to do it?
006:11:20 Armstrong: We want to try to do the Platform Parallelism [garble] back off and align it here.
006:11:25 Scott: Yes. You're right.
006:11:27 Scott: You're at 6 frames per second.
006:11:28 Armstrong: Yes.
006:11:39 Scott: [Garble.]
006:11:51 Armstrong: While I'm here I'd like to align the Platform. I'm in a good position.
006:11:56 Scott: Okay. Just yaw left to 10 before we...
006:11:57 Armstrong: Okay.
006:12:01 Armstrong: I can't see it now so...
006:12:03 Scott: You're okay. I'll call you.
006:12:11 Scott: Okay. Now yaw right and you'll be okay.
006:12:15 Scott: You're on the wrong [garble].
006:12:18 Armstrong: Sorry about that.
006:12:20 Armstrong: See him?
006:12:21 Scott: You're okay.
006:12:22 Scott: Keep translating.
006:12:25 Scott: Why don't you go down where you can see?
006:12:30 Armstrong: Okay. Align [garble] Platform.
006:13:01 Scott: Let's see. They didn't ever tell us to turn it back on, did they?
006:13:06 CC: Hawaii, Gemini VIII.
006:13:08 Scott: Coder's coming on. Radar's in Standby anyway.
006:13:13 Armstrong: Okay now [garble].
006:13:20 Armstrong: We might do that now.
006:13:21 Scott: ...do the what?
006:13:22 Armstrong: ...take a picture of it.
006:13:23 Armstrong: Did the Index Bar extend?
006:13:24 Armstrong: Index Bar.
006:13:29 Scott: Oh yes, why don't you get - no, you want to stay here.
006:13:32 Armstrong: ...let's take a picture of it.
006:13:35 Armstrong: I might do that.
006:13:44 Scott: We're supposed to set up the Agena in Flight Control Mode 6, at 06:15 to 06:25.
006:13:51 Armstrong: Right.
006:13:55 Armstrong: Yes.
006:13:56 Scott: So you want to do that?
006:13:59 Armstrong: Yes. I'll probably have to back off a little bit.
006:14:01 Scott: You're supposed to be aligning here anyway.
006:14:03 Armstrong: I am.
006:14:11 Armstrong: Okay. It gives you an idea of what Platform-Mode stationkeeping is like.
006:14:15 Armstrong: It's a sort of a way...
006:14:17 Armstrong: I'd visualized it, except a little farther back.
006:14:22 Armstrong: I can tell. I can usually see that...
006:14:23 Scott: Firing thrusters?
006:14:25 Scott: Wait a little bit. Okay. Now drifting in a little close. Let's say I wanted to fire a little forward thruster and wanted to tell you I'm going to fire a little forward thruster and then I wait a little bit and you say okay, and then I'll say okay, now.
006:14:42 Scott: Like that.
006:14:47 Armstrong: Okay. Put the Bus Arm to Dock.
006:14:56 Scott: For your Index Extend?
006:14:59 Armstrong: Oh. I am out of film.
006:15:01 Scott: [Garble] give it to me and I'll change it.
006:15:06 Scott: I'll get it.
006:15:08 Scott: I don't mind. I'll write on the one we did.
006:15:11 Armstrong: Okay.
006:15:27 Scott: What would you recommend for an exposure?
006:15:30 Armstrong: I'll tell you in just a minute.
006:15:49 Scott: A target - what lens? 18mm lens?
006:15:51 Armstrong: Yes.
006:15:54 Scott: 1/200 and an f:16.
006:15:56 Armstrong: 1/200 and an f:16. Okay.
006:16:30 Armstrong: Let's align the Platform.
This is Gemini Control in Houston. We have replayed the conversation following our rendezvous, and to recap one thing and another, the two vehicles have matched velocity, that is, Gemini 8 has matched the Agena velocity of 25,365.9 feet per second, or in miles-per-hour, 17,294.9. They are running at a 60 to 80 feet apart as they move across the eastern Pacific. Also, based on early TM values, our controllers estimate that the spacecraft used only 180 pounds of fuel in that Terminal Phase Final maneuver, and this would match very closely with the fuel usage demonstrated by Gemini 6 in its rendezvous with Gemini 7. It's all touch of irony today as this rendezvous took place just West of Hawaii. The two pilots, the command pilots for Gemini 6 and Gemini 7, Wally Schirra and Frank Borman, were in an airplane and they are headed also for the island of Hawaii. They should land there later this afternoon after a Far Eastern tour. Again, we should acquire - the Rose Knot Victor should acquire at 6 hours, 32 minutes into the flight. We're pre8ently showing 6 hours, 16 minutes into the flight, and the physical docking is to take place over the Rose Knot Victor. This is Gemini Control, Houston.
