1966 In Spaceflight
Gemini 8 about to dock with its Agena target vehicle, the first time two spacecrafts dock in orbit. |
|
| Orbital launches | |
|---|---|
| First | 7 January |
| Last | 29 December |
| Total | 131 |
| Successes | 111 |
| Failures | 13 |
| Partial failures | 7 |
| Catalogued | 118 |
| Manned flights | |
| Orbital | 5 |
| Total travellers | 10 |
The year 1966 saw the peak and the end of the Gemini program. The program proved that docking in space and human EVA's can be done safely. It saw the first launch of the Saturn IB rocket an important step in the Apollo program. Also launched in 1966 is Luna 9, the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on any planetary object other than Earth (the Moon).
Read more about 1966 In Spaceflight: Launches, Launches 2, Deep Space Rendezvous, EVAs