“1966: Gemini 8 (NASA)”

This footage from Gemini 8 is murky at best, but remember this mission went into space 44 years ago. Here’s some footage from a near disastrous mission in which the Gemini 8 spacecraft went into a disorientating spin following docking with an Agena Target Vehicle (docking was sort of a dress rehearsal for the eventual Apollo missions). Astronauts Dave Scott and Neil “One Giant Leap” Armstrong somehow managed to pull themselves out of the spin and reentered the Earth’s atmosphere without casualty. These two guys were truly badass pilots.

Emily Carney is a writer, space enthusiast, and creator of the This Space Available space blog, published since 2010. In January 2019, Emily’s This Space Available blog was incorporated into the National Space Society’s blog. The content of Emily’s blog can be accessed via the This Space Available blog category.

Note: The views expressed in This Space Available are those of the author and should not be considered as representing the positions or views of the National Space Society.