Launch from Cape Canaveral; landing 800 km
southeast of Okinawa in the Pacific Ocean.
The main goals of this
mission were, to accomplish a rendezvous and docking with the prelaunched Agena
Target Vehicle (
GATV 8) and to perform again a spacewalk.
The
first orbital docking was accomplished without any problems, but then the
Gemini capsule with the docked
GATV 8 began rolling uncontrolled and continuously
because of problems with the spacecraft control system (thrusters sticking
probably of an electrical short). That problem was never faced in a simulation,
so the crew was forced to undock, but the problems continued and were serious.
After separation, loosing the mass of the Agena, the Gemini spacecraft began to
roll even faster. It reached one revolution per second. The only thing to do
was turn off the
OAMS and switch to the reentry control system, which
prompted in an early landing. So the planned
EVA
was not performed. Neil
Armstrongs calm headedness and his ability to recover from an
extremely dangerous space emergency saved the crew.
The crew was
recovered by the
USS Leonard
F. Mason. Three hours after landing the Mason had the spacecraft on
board.