1966 in spaceflight

1966 in spaceflight
	Gemini 8 about to dock with its Agena target vehicle, the first time two spacecraft dock in orbit.
Orbital launches
First	7 January
Last	29 December
Total	131
Successes	111
Failures	13
Partial failures	7
Catalogued	118
Crewed flights
Orbital	5
Total travellers	10
	v; t; e;

The year 1966 saw the peak and the end of the Gemini program. The program proved that docking in space and human EVA's could be done safely. It saw the first launch of the Saturn IB rocket, an important step in the Apollo program, and the launch of Luna 9, the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on a celestial object (the Moon).

Quick Facts Orbital launches, First ...

Quick Facts

Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload (⚀ = CubeSat)	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
January-December
14 July^[5]	T-7A-S2			Shijiedu		SIED

		Capsule with a dog		Suborbital	Biology experiment	14 July	Successful
		Apogee: 100 km
28 July^[5]	T-7A-S2			Shijiedu		SIED

		Capsule with a dog		Suborbital	Biology experiment	28 July	Successful
		Apogee: 100 km

Launch Date/Time	Rocket	Launch Site	Launch Contractor	Payload	Operator	Orbit	Mission/ Function	Re-Entry/ Destruction	Outcome	Remarks
16 March 15:00 GMT	Atlas D	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	GATV 5003	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	15 September 1967	Successful	Used by Gemini 8 and Gemini 10
16 March 16:41 GMT	Titan II	LC-19, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Gemini 8, 2 Astronauts	NASA	LEO	Crewed Orbital Flight	17 March 1966	Partial Failure	First docking in space. (with GATV). OAMS malfunction caused loss of control. Spacecraft became low on fuel after recovering. Terminated early.
17 May 15:12 GMT	Atlas D	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	GATV 5004	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	17 May 1966	Failure	Failed to reach orbit. Intended for use by Gemini 9
1 June 15:00 GMT	Atlas SLV-3	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	ATDA 02186	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	11 June 1966	Failure	Fairing failed to separate Intended for use by Gemini 9A
3 June 16:41 GMT	Titan II	LC-19, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Gemini 9A, 2 Astronauts	NASA	LEO	Crewed Orbital Flight	6 June 1966	Partial Failure	Unable to complete primary objective - Docking with ATDA - due to ATDA payload fairing malfunction
5 July 14:53 GMT	Saturn IB (C-1B)	LC-37B, Cape Canaveral	NASA	(none)	N/A	N/A	Test launch vehicle	N/A	Successful
18 July 20:39 GMT	Atlas D	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	GATV 5005	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	29 December 1966	Successful	Used by Gemini 10
18 July 22:20 GMT	Titan II	LC-19, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Gemini 10, 2 Astronauts	NASA	LEO	Crewed Orbital Flight	21 July 1966	Successful
25 August 17:15 GMT	Saturn IB (C-1B)	LC-34, Cape Canaveral	NASA	Apollo Spacecraft (AS-202)	NASA	Sub-orbital	Test Apollo Spacecraft and Launch Vehicle	25 August 1966 18:48 GMT	Successful
12 September 13:05 GMT	Atlas D	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	GATV 5006	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	30 December 1966	Successful	Used by Gemini 11
12 September 14:42 GMT	Titan II	LC-19, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Gemini 11, 2 Astronauts	NASA	LEO	Crewed Orbital Flight	15 September 1966	Successful	Altitude record for crewed Earth-Orbit flight
11 November 20:46 GMT	Atlas D	LC-14, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	GATV 5001A	NASA	LEO	Gemini docking target.	23 December 1966	Failure	Failed to ignite. Used by Gemini 12
11 November 20:46 GMT	Titan II	LC-19, Cape Canaveral	US Air Force	Gemini 12, 2 Astronauts	NASA	LEO	Crewed Orbital Flight	15 November 1966	Successful	Final Gemini flight

Date (UTC)	Spacecraft	Event	Remarks
3 February	Luna 9	First lunar landing	in Oceanus Procellarum; first soft landing on a celestial body and first images from lunar surface
27 February	Venera 2	Flyby of Venus	Communication lost en route
1 March	Venera 3	First Venus impact	Communication lost en route
3 April	Luna 10	Selenocentric orbit insertion	first orbiter of the Moon
2 June	Surveyor 1	Lunar landing	in Oceanus Procellarum
14 August	Lunar Orbiter 1	Selenocentric orbit insertion	Returned 211 images
27 August	Luna 11	Selenocentric orbit insertion
23 September	Surveyor 2	Lunar impact	Failed lander, impacted Sinus Medii
25 October	Luna 12	Selenocentric orbit insertion
29 October	Lunar Orbiter 1	Lunar impact
10 November	Lunar Orbiter 2	Selenocentric orbit injection	Returned 184 images
24 December	Luna 13	Lunar landing	in Oceanus Procellarum

Start Date/Time	Duration	End Time	Spacecraft	Crew	Remarks
5 June 15:02	2 hours 7 minutes	17:09	Gemini IX-A	Eugene Cernan	A complex EVA was planned.^[6] Cernan expended four to five times the expected effort, raising his pulse as high as 180 beats per minute. Excess heat and respiration completely fogged visor, causing the EVA to be cut short. Cernan also had difficulty returning to spacecraft and closing the hatch.^[7]
19 July 21:44	49 Minutes	22:33	Gemini X	Michael Collins	Collins performed a stand-up EVA. Instead of climbing completely out of the spacecraft, Collins extended his torso outside the spacecraft to take photos before and after capsule sunrise. Color photography after sunrise was only partly completed due to severe eye irritation of both Collins and Command Pilot Young. Handling the camera proved difficult due to stiffness of spacesuit gloves.^[8]
20 July 23:01	39 minutes	23:40	Gemini X	Michael Collins	Umbilical EVA; with more difficulty than expected, Collins collected the micrometeorite collection package from the outside of Gemini. Then, using the Hand Held Maneuvering Unit, he pushed to the nearby Agena-8 to collect its micrometeorite collection package. Collins then pulled on the umbilical cord to return and re-enter the spacecraft.^[9]
13 September 14:44	33 minutes	15:17	Gemini XI	Richard F. Gordon Jr.	Gordon attached a tether between Gemini and Agena 11 for later orbital mechanics testing. While making the attachment, his work load exceeded the spacesuit cooling system, and his vision became obscured by a fogged visor and sweat in his eyes. Planned activities were curtailed by Command Pilot Conrad and Gordon returned to the spacecraft.^[10]
14 September 12:49	2 hours 8 minutes	14:57	Gemini XI	Richard F. Gordon Jr.	Gordon performed a stand-up EVA. He extended through the hatch to take astronomical photos. Conrad reported the spacewalk was so relaxing they both fell asleep for a moment after sunrise.^[11]
12 November 16:15	2 hours 29 minutes	18:44	Gemini XII	Buzz Aldrin	Aldrin performed a stand-up EVA. Aldrin stood, took UV still photos and 16 mm color movie pictures, collected external experimental samples, and conducted a light exercise routine.^[12]
13 November 15:34	2 hours 6 minutes	17:40	Gemini XII	Buzz Aldrin	First completely successful umbilical EVA, with all objectives achieved. Aldrin was able to control his movements and restrict his work load using techniques developed using underwater zero gravity simulations. He also benefited from experiences of the previous American EVAs and was able to move around the outside of the craft, deploy and recover various experimental packages, install and remove cameras, and practice work techniques using a ratchet-type wrench.^[13]
14 November 14:52	55 minutes	15:47	Gemini XII	Buzz Aldrin	Aldrin performed a second stand-up EVA. He again extended outside the hatch to take photographs and repeat the light exercise experiment. Exertion levels during exercise were comparable to preflight simulations. Equipment and waste food containers not needed for reentry were jettisoned from the spacecraft.^[14]

Country		Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures
	France	1	1	0	0
	Japan	2^[a]	0	2	0
	Soviet Union	53	42	9	2
	United States	80	74	7	0
World		136	117	18	2

1966 in spaceflight

Orbital launches

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Suborbital launches

January-December

Gemini and Apollo launches

Deep Space Rendezvous

EVAs

Orbital launch statistics

By country

References

Wikiwand - on

1966 in spaceflight

Timeline of spaceflight ← 1965 1967 →

Date and time (UTC)	Rocket		Flight number	Launch site		LSP
		Payload (⚀ = CubeSat)	Operator	Orbit	Function	Decay (UTC)	Outcome
		Remarks
January
7 January 04:48:23	Thor-Burner 1			Vandenberg LC-75-2-6		USAF

		OPS 2394 (DMSP 4A-F5)	USAF	Planned: Low Earth	Meteorology	7 January	Launch failure
		Second stage failed to ignite
7 January 08:24	Vostok-2			Baikonur LC-31/6

		Kosmos 104 (Zenit-2)		Low Earth	Optical reconnaissance	15 January	Partial Failure
		Third stage failed to put spacecraft in correct orbit
19 January 20:10	Atlas-SLV3 Agena-D			Vandenberg PALC-2-4		USAF

		KH-7 24 (KH-7 Gambit)	NRO	Low Earth	Optical Reconnaissance	???	Successful
		OPS 3179 (Agena Pickaback)		Low Earth	Technology	23 January 1966	Successful
		OPS 7253		Low Earth	Film return	25 January 1966	Successful
22 January 08:38	Vostok-2			Baikonur LC-31/6

		Kosmos 105 (Zenit-2)		Low Earth	Optical reconnaissance	30 January	Successful
25 January 12:28	Kosmos-2I			Kapustin Yar LC-86/1

		Kosmos 106 (DS-P1-I)		Low Earth	Radar calibration	In orbit	Successful
28 January 17:06:00	Scout-A			Vandenberg PALC-D

		OPS 1593 (Transit-O 7)		Low Earth	Navigation	In orbit	Successful
31 January 11:41:37	Molniya-M			Baikonur LC-31/6

		Luna 9		Lunar transfer	Lunar lander	3 February 18:45	Successful
		First spacecraft to soft land on the surface of the Moon and of any planetary object.
February
2 February 21:32:13	Thor-SLV2A Agena-D			Vandenberg PALC-1-1

		OPS 7291 (KH-4A Corona 1029)	NRO	Low Earth	Optical Reconnaissance	27 February	Successful
3 February 07:41:23	Delta C			Cape Canaveral LC-17A

		ESSA-1 (Tiros)	ESSA	Low Earth	Meteorology	In orbit	Successful
5 February 12:19:49	R-36O			Baikonur Site 67/21		RVSN

		OGCh #02L	RVSN	Suborbital	Missile test	5 February	Successful
		Maiden flight of R-36O, apogee: 200 kilometres (120 mi)