WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Astronaut Walter M. Schirra Jr., command pilot, accepts the best wishes of G.F. Wendt, McDonnell Aircraft Corporation pad leader, as he arrives in the white room atop Pad 19. Moments later, Schirra and astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, pilot, entered the spacecraft for their planned two-day mission. At right is NASA suit technician Al Rochford. NASA attempted to launch Gemini-6 at 9:54 a.m. (EST) on Dec. 12, 1965. However, seconds after ignition the first stage engine of the Gemini-6 launch vehicle shut down due to a faulty release of a liftoff umbilical plug.