50th anniversary of NASA's Gemini 8 mission

Close-up view of NASA astronaut David Scott, pilot of the Gemini 8 spaceflight, making final adjustments and checks in the spacecraft during the prelaunch countdown on March 16, 1966. In the background almost out of view is astronaut Neil Armstrong, command pilot. March 16, 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of NASA's Gemini 8 mission, the sixth manned spaceflight conducted during the United States' Project Gemini program. The primary objective of the mission, the successful docking of two spacecraft in orbit, a first in spaceflight, was a success though the crew would experience a critical in-space system failure, forcing them to abandon the mission prematurely. UPI