Armstrong-Astronaut Photos
This 1966 image taken by Ron McQueeney shows the Gemini 8 spacecraft being lifted for transport at Naha Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.
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Previously unreleased photos show astronaut Neil Armstrong in the aftermath of a space mission that almost took his life. Gemini 8 accomplished the first docking in space, but an unexpected technical error caused the spacecraft to tumble uncontrollably. The astronauts' quick thinking saved their lives and ended the mission early. Because the splashdown off Japan wasn't planned, fewer members of the media were there to capture the return. The newly discovered photos have been donated to the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Ohio. They were taken by Ron McQueeney, an Army veteran and professional photographer who escorted the astronauts.