The Gemini 8 Flight Journal
Gemini 8
Part 15: Docking
Corrected Transcript and Commentary Copyright © 2025 by Tracy L. Scott and W. David Woods. All rights reserved.
Last updated 2025-09-09
This is Mission Control, Houston at 6 hours, 32 minutes into the flight. Flight Director Hodge has just talked with the controller on the Rose Knot Victor. They have agreed on their procedures there. We're standing by waiting for some word.
006:32:17 Armstrong: RKV, Gemini [garble].
006:32:19 RKV CC: Gemini VIII, RKV.
006:32:21 Armstrong: Okay. We're sitting about 2 feet out...
006:32:22 RKV CC: Go ahead.
006:32:23 Armstrong: ...[garble]. We'll go ahead and dock.
006:32:25 RKV CC: Roger. Stand by for a couple of minutes here.
There goes a call up to Gemini 8. We heard Gemini 8 acknowledge the call. Hodge asked the Rose Knot if they were docked. We are advised they are not docked as yet. And the Rose Knot has just told Gemini 8 to go ahead and dock. The desired velocity for this docking maneuver is about 1 foot per second, that is driving in toward the Agena, the docking adapter. The pilots want at least 3 foot per second to ensure that all the latches are engaged and the proper link-up is achieved. But they don't want too much more than 1 foot per second for fear that some damage might be done in the coupling.
Houston Flight: Is he docked?
RKV CC: Negative, he's not docked yet.
006:32:42 RKV CC: Okay, Gemini VIII. We have T/M solid. You're looking good on the ground. Go ahead and dock.
RKV CC: Flight, we're going to hold off on this SPC thing until he does get docked.
Houston Flight: Okay, go ahead with your memory compare.
RKV CC: Roger.
Houston Flight: Let us know what he does.
006:32:50 Armstrong: Okay. We're going to go ahead and dock.
RKV CC: Okay, we have a rigid light - it is not rigid now.
Houston Flight: Say again.
006:33:40 RKV CC: Okay, Gemini VIII. It looks good here from the ground. We're showing Cone Rigid. Everything looks good for the docking.
006:33:47 Armstrong: Okay. We're going to cycle our Rigid/Stop switch now.
006:33:52 Armstrong: Flight, we are docked!
006:33:58 Armstrong: Yes. It's a - really a smoothie.
006:34:01 RKV CC: Roger. Hey, congratulations: This is real good.
006:34:07 Scott: You couldn't have the thrill down there that we have up here.
006:34:10 RKV CC: Ha! Ha! Ha!
006:34:24 Armstrong: Okay. Just for your information, the Agena was very stable and at the present time we are having no noticeable oscillations at all.
006:34:37 RKV CC: Roger. Copy. Agena very stable and no noticeable oscillations. Very good!
006:34:42 Armstrong: Roger.
Rose Knot Victor shows - Rose Knot Victor shows - and now the word is they have docked, They have achieved the dock. They must have only been a few feet away. The Rose Knot Victor controller is congratulating them, Neil Armstrong's only comment was "It was a real smoothie!" They apparently were only a foot or two away from the Agena when they put in the call. Armstrong says that the Agena was very stable during the docking maneuver. They are physically docked now and he says they are having no disturbances at all in their flight path. The actual docking maneuver brought a small chorus of cheers from here, a lot of thumbs up signal in this control center.
Houston Flight: RKV, Flight. What is the control mode in the Agena?
RKV CC: Stand by, Flight.
Houston Flight: Roger.
RKV CC: We are in control mode 6, Flight.
Houston Flight: Roger.
RKV CC: Okay, we are showing zeros in those cores and we are to have him turn Encoder, Off, then also the UHF Enable.
Houston Flight: Okay, you want to send it again?
006:35:26 RKV CC: Gemini VIII...
006:35:29 RKV CC: ...RKV. We'd like to update that SPC load that did not get in correctly. Could you give us UHF Enable and the Encoder, Off, please?
006:35:42 Armstrong: I think we'd rather - can we send it in on the Encoder ourselves?
Houston Flight: Can't do that.
006:35:52 Armstrong: You just want to load an SPC again. Correct?
006:35:55 RKV CC: Roger. We did not get all the SPC load in correctly over Hawaii, and we want to finish the SPC load from here.
006:36:04 RKV CC: And you can not do that from where you are.
006:36:20 RKV CC: Do you copy, Gemini VIII ?
006:36:22 Armstrong: Yes. We copy. We're just discussing it a little bit.
006:36:42 Armstrong: Okay. We're going to go along with you on that, and want you to make double sure that you get the right load.
006:36:50 RKV CC: Roger. Wilco. We sure will.
Houston Flight: RKV, Flight, you can tell him SPCs are disabled.
RKV CC: Okay.
Houston Flight: Make him feel a little warmer.
006:37:08 RKV CC: And be advised, Gemini VIII, the SPC at the present time is Disabled, so regardless of what your load does, we'll still be okay.
006:37:16 Scott: We'd like you to make double sure.
006:37:21 RKV CC: Okay. Can you give us the Encoder, Off, please?
006:37:22 Scott: It's off.
006:37:24 RKV CC: Roger. Thank you. We are sending the SPC loads.
006:37:54 RKV CC: Okay, Gemini VIII. The SPC's are in. We have reset the Reset Timer, and you may have control back again.
006:38:05 Scott: Thank you very much.
The Rose Knot Victor controller talking with them. He is advising the pilots that they'd like to update a command load to the Agena. Additional commands for the Agena being readied to be sent up from the Rose Knot Victor, not very much additional conversation coming from the two.
Neil Armstrong is making triply sure that the proper command is sent from the Rose Knot Victor. He apparently wants to take no chances which is quite understangable in his present configuration.
RKV CC: Oh wait a minute, we didn't sent that SPC enable, do we want to send that, Flight, or not?
Houston Flight: Right.
RKV CC: What?
Houston Flight: Confirm the load.
RKV CC: Okay. Flight we got a negative on the memory compare.
Houston Flight: Negative?
RKV CC: That affirmative, a negative on the memory compare. We're getting the print out now.
Houston Flight: Take a readout on that, RKV.
RKV CC: Rog, that's what we are doing.
Houston Flight: Let's know which rows have got zero in.
RKV CC: Wilco.
Houston Flight: RKV, Houston.
RKV CC: Houston, RKV.
Houston Flight: Did you send VM word?
RKV CC: That's negative.
Now the SPC load, or the Stored Program Control load, this is a controller aboard the Agena has received its proper command and both the spacecraft and the ground are happy with that. We have the taped conversation from the start of this pass available for you and we'll play that for you now.
006:39:17 RKV CC: Gemini VIII, we would also like to send the V/M word. Would you turn the Encoder, Off, please?
006:39:26 Armstrong: Okay. Encoder, Off.
006:39:29 RKV CC: Roger. We're transmitting the V/M now.
006:39:38 RKV CC: Okay. Turn the Encoder back on.
RKV CC: Flight, we got no compare on the VM.
Houston Flight: No compare on the VM?
RKV CC: That's affirm.
Houston Flight: Okay, that’s okay. We can get them to put that in themselves.
RKV CC: Okay.
RKV CC: You want me to read it up to him?
Houston Flight: He has it onboard, standby. Go ahead and read it up to him. No you are not going to have enough time now. We'll pick it up over CSQ.
RKV CC: Okay, Flight. I don't know what the heck went wrong with that thing.
Houston Flight: Say again.
RKV CC: Say I don't know what the heck went wrong with that VM load.
006:40:32 RKV CC: Gemini VIII, RKV. We're about to have LOS. You're looking real good from the ground. Congratulations on Rendezvous and Docking.
006:40:42 Armstrong: Thank you, Scotty.
006:40:48 Scott: [Garble.]
RKV CC: Flight, we've had LOS and we did not get a tape dump.
Houston Flight: Roger.
This is Gemini Control, Houston here at 6 hours, 44 minutes into the flight. According to the best estimates that we have, the actual docking took place at 6 hours, 34 minutes into the flight. We can verify this later through telemetry but that is the estimate of the Flight Director. The pilots still have about two hours work ahead of them before they will power down for the night and suspend their activities after this most busy and successful day. The events will include some maneuvering with the Agena, several yaw maneuvers, they’ll use the SPS propulsion system [on the Agena] and observe it very carefully. Every event is to be photographed in as much detail as they can. This is Gemini Control, Houston.
006:48:30 RKV CC: Gemini, Scotty confirmed DCC Flight Test Continuous?
006:49:31 Armstrong: Affirmative. Flight Test to Continuous.
006:50:20 RKV CC: Minus 3 minutes and counting. CM1.
006:51:27 Armstrong: We just completed yawing the Agena to 090 and yaw was at precisely 1½ degrees per second on the Yaw Maneuver, and it took [garble] seconds to go 90 degrees. The Gemini Platform has - may have drifted excessively since the last time we aligned it; see, it was almost an hour ago.
006:52:03 Scott: Yes, that's right.
006:52:18 Armstrong: The alignments are from 06:13 to 06:23 - let's see - we contend that it was the Agena and control systems.
006:55:00 Lovell: Gemini VIII, Gemini VIII, Houston CapCom. Over.
006:55:05 Armstrong: This is Gemini VIII. A...
006:55:13 Lovell: Roger, VIII. Reading you loud and clear. I have some information for you. Ready to copy?
006:55:16 Scott: Stand by.
006:55:19 Scott: What kind of information is it?
006:55:20 Lovell: Well, first of all, it's about the SPC Yaw Maneuver. I have some dope for you to follow.
006:55:35 Scott: Do you mean the SPC Yaw Maneuver?
006:55:38 Lovell: Roger. We believe we have the load in and we would like to have you Enable the SPCs and let the Agena start coming through. If you run into trouble and the Attitude Control System in the Agena goes wild, just send in Command 400 to turn it off and take control with the spacecraft. Did you copy that?
006:55:58 Scott: Roger. We understand.
006:56:01 Lovell: Roger. Okay. Stand by.
006:56:07 Lovell: I have another update for you.
006:56:12 Scott: Stand by.
006:56:15 Scott: Got to get the right book.
006:56:20 Scott: Go ahead.
006:56:22 Lovell: Roger. Node: 07:04:46; Rev 5; 67.5 east; 15 plus 52, right ascension.
006:56:45 Scott: Roger. Understand. Node: 07:04:46; Rev 5; 67.5 east; 15 plus 52, right ascension.
006:56:58 Lovell: Roger. That's correct. And would you verify that the L-Band radar is off, please?
006:57:05 Scott: Roger. We should have Off command. Do you want us to do it again?
006:57:09 Lovell: No. This is the spacecraft L-Band radar.
006:57:15 Scott: Roger. The L-Band in the transponder is off.
006:57:18 Lovell: Roger. Thank you. And would you put the ECS O
2 heater, Off?
006:57:25 Scott: Okay. Going Off.
006:57:27 Lovell: Roger. And T/M down here is saying that the Fuel Cell O
2 and H
2 Heater circuit breaker had opened up during the Pacific pass and we would like to know if Dave found that circuit breaker open, and did he reset it after Hawaii?
006:57:41 Armstrong: That's affirmative. He did find it open and he did reset it after Hawaii.
006:57:46 Lovell: Roger. Big Brother is watching.
006:57:49 Scott: Say again.
006:57:51 Lovell: And could you give us an OAMS Propellant Quantity readout, please?
006:57:59 Scott: Okay. 51 percent right now.
006:58:01 Lovell: Roger. 51 percent. Thank you.
006:58:41 Armstrong: Now we yawed around to 180 now for the Parallelism Check. It's gone real well.
006:58:46 Lovell: Understand. You've yawed to 180 for the Parallelism Check.
006:58:50 Armstrong: Right.
007:02:08 Tananarive: Tananarive has LOS.
