Lovell was later scheduled to be the backup command pilot of Gemini 10 . But after the deaths of the Gemini 9 prime crew Elliot See and Charles Bassett , he replaced Thomas P. Stafford as backup commander of Gemini 9A . This again positioned Lovell for his second flight and first command , of Gemini 12 in November 1966 with Pilot Buzz Aldrin . This flight had three extravehicular activities , made 59 orbits , and achieved the fifth space rendezvous and fourth space docking with an Agena target vehicle . This mission was successful because it proved that humans can work effectively outside the spacecraft , paved the way for the Apollo missions , and helped reach the goal of getting man on the Moon by the end of the decade
deaths of the Gemini 9 prime crew
1966 NASA T-38 crash
Jim Lovell