2-860-637 - Heritage Space/Heritage Images

Gemini VIII splashdown, Armstrong and Scott with hatches open, March 16, 1966. Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and David R. Scott sit with their spacecraft while awaiting the arrival of the recovery ship, the USS Leonard F. Mason after the successful, but early, completion of their Gemini VIII mission. Splashdown took place in the Pacific Ocean, 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of Okinawa and 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Yokosuka, Japan. The astronautes were assisted by USAF Pararescuemen Eldrige M. Neal, Larry D. Huyett, and Glenn M. Moore. The overhead view shows the spacecraft with the yellow flotation collar attached to stabilize it in choppy seas. The green marker dye is highly visible from the air and is used as a locating aid.