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.
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This 1966 image taken by Ron McQueeney shows the Gemini 8 spacecraft being lifted for transport at Naha Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. (Ron McQueeney/Ohio History Connection via AP)
This 1966 image provided by Ron McQueeney shows a crowd of military personnel gathering as astronauts Neil Armstrong and David Scott look out from a ship at Naha Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. (Ron McQueeney/Ohio History Connection via AP)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — For the second time this year, NASA moved its moon rocket from the hangar out toward the pad Friday in hopes of la…
The NASA Artemis II rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building moving slowly to pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
The NASA Artemis II rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building moving slowly to pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
The NASA Artemis II rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building moving slowly to pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
The NASA Artemis II rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building moving slowly to pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
The Orion spacecraft sits on top of the NASA Artemis II rocket in the Vehicle Assembly Building before rollout to pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA cleared its moon rocket on Thursday for an April launch with four astronauts after completing the latest roun…