This short NASA film documents the final mission of the Gemini program in 1966 as astronauts James A. Lovell, Jr. and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. performed several extravehicular activity (EVA) operations and a rendezvous and docking operation with an Agena target vehicle. The film starts with footage from the June 3 1965 spacewalk by astronaut Ed White. A mockup of the Gemini XII spacecraft sits under water in a pool (01:24), where astronaut Buzz Aldrin (the pilot for Gemini XII) uses a weighted suit to simulate zero gravity for EVA training. He attaches hand rails on the spacecraft. He tests foot restraints at the rest area (03:14). Men help pull the astronaut out of the pool. The Atlas-powered Agena target vehicle blasts off on 11 November 1966. Command Pilot Jim Lovell climbs into Gemini XII preparing for launch. The boosters ignite and liftoff occurs (05:20). Gemini XII flies through the sky. Men record data in the command center, monitoring the astronauts and spacecraft. Footage shows Gemini XII orbiting Earth and looking for the Agena craft for a planned rendezvous. Gemini XII nears Agena for a docking operation (07:37). NASA officials in the command center talk about an Agena propulsion issue. There is a shot of sunset from the beach of one of the islands in Hawaii (10:08); this is followed by shot of Gemini XII in space. The astronauts photograph a solar eclipse, then Aldrin climbs out of the hatch for a standup EVA (11:30). A still photo shows Gemini XII during an umbilical EVA (13:18). Onboard cameras show Aldrin moving out and attaching a tether from the spacecraft to the Agena. He is shown working at the Agena work station. The film also shows Aldrin taking a break at the rest location. Aldrin uses a torque wrench during the EVA session (15:24). Gemini XII undocks from the Agena and moves away. Footage shows the Agena tethered to Gemini XII (17:20). There is a good shot of Earth, the crew in the spacecraft, and the Navy recovery ship USS Wasp in the western Atlantic (18:54). There is footage from the point of view of an astronaut walking up the ramp at the launch pad where Gemini XII took off from (19:35). Men in the command center prepare for the reentry of Gemini XII’s crew. A Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopter takes off from deck of ship to wait for reentry. Footage shows the view out of the pilot’s window during reentry process (21:24). The space capsule parachutes toward the water (22:44). The capsule splashes down, and Navy rescue swimmers jump out of the helicopter and pick up the crew members of Gemini XII. Men at Houston’s command center celebrate the successful mission. Aldrin and Lovell climb out of the helicopter once aboard the Wasp and are greeted by crewmembers of the ship (23:13). The two astronauts speak into a microphone aboard the ship. The film concludes with footage of the lowering of the Gemini flag at the Manned Spacecraft Center (later renamed the Johnson Space Center).

Gemini 12 (officially Gemini XII) was a 1966 crewed spaceflight in NASA’s Project Gemini. It was the 10th and final crewed Gemini flight, the 18th crewed American spaceflight, and the 26th spaceflight of all time, including X-15 flights over 100 kilometers (54 nmi). Commanded by Gemini VII veteran James A. Lovell, the flight featured three periods of extravehicular activity (EVA) by rookie Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, lasting a total of 5 hours and 30 minutes. It also achieved the fifth rendezvous and fourth docking with an Agena target vehicle.

Gemini XII marked a successful conclusion of the Gemini program, achieving the last of its goals by successfully demonstrating that astronauts can effectively work outside of spacecraft. This was instrumental in paving the way for the Apollo program to achieve its goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com