On March 16, 1966, Gemini 8 lifted off on the sixth spaceflight of the Gemini program, a planned three-day flight that accomplished the first successful docking of two spacecraft in Earth orbit. The flight was cut short due to a thruster malfunction, and the two astronauts returned to Earth safely. Both would go on to walk on the moon during the Apollo program. Here’s a look at the Gemini 8 mission, from the archives of NASA.

Gemini 8 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, command pilot, and David R. Scott, pilot, during a photo session outside Mission Control Center at Cape Kennedy, March 11, 1966.

NASA