Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in ... - The Black Vault

358
First Steps into Space: Projects Mercury and Gemini
PREFACE
This preliminary transcript was made from voice tape recordings of the
Gemini VIII flight crew debriefing conducted by Captain Schirra immediately
after crew recovery, March 18, 1966.
A subsequent debriefing was conducted at the Crew Quarters, Cape
Kennedy, Florida, by Mr. J. Van Bockel on March 19-20, 1966.
Although all material contained in this transcript has been rough edited,
the urgent need for the preliminary transcript by missions analysis personnel
precluded a thorough editorial review prior to its publication.
Note: The section covering the problem area encountered after docking
and referred to as the Gemini VIII Self-debriefing is contained within Section 4.0,
Orbital Operation.
[pp. 2-54 not included]
[55]
GEMINI VIII SELF DEBRIEFING
Armstrong:
Okay. Approximately 7 hours 00 minutes in the flight plan, we were in
configuration to perform a Platform Parellelism Check and had just completed
the yawing of the Agena-Spacecraft combination to spacecraft BEF
position, 0-180-0. We were on the night side. We had docked at approximately
6:34, and that was just a couple of minutes into the night side, or
thereabouts. In the Flight Plan – at the position where we were sending
command 041 with the computer already set up with Addresses 25, 26,
and 27 inserted. At the time, the Flight Plan was on the left-hand side and
I was reading the commands to Dave, and, at the same time, was working
on restoring the cabin into a better configuration after just recently completing
the Post-docking Checklist. Then Dave reported that there was
some kind of divergence. How did you remember that, Dave?
Scott:
Well, we had just finished putting the commands in, and the next thing
on the Flight Plan was to start the Agena recorder. I had just sent 041
command to the Agena and written down the time at which the recorder
started. I looked up and saw the Spacecraft-Agena [56 ] combination
starting a roll. With no horizon, it wasn’t apparent until I happened to
glance at the ball and I didn’t really feel it at first. I called Neil and he
suggested turning the ACS off. I turned it off as fast as I could and also in
a short period of time turned off the Horizon Sensor and the Geo Rate to
give spacecraft control to the combination.