It began as one of those flawless launches that the U.S. public has come to take for granted in the eighth year of the space age. Weather was ideal; the complex countdown proceeded without a hitch.

Gemini 8 spacecraft nears its Agena target vehicle on March 16, 1966, a few minutes before achieving the first docking of two vehicles in space (March 21, page 30). Astronaut David R. Scott took this ...

Click to open image viewer. This is the Agena-B upper stage used during the 1960s as an orbital injection vehicle for Midas and other satellites. It was also an intermediate stage booster for Ranger ...

20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) ...