14. Gemini IX A was plagued with failures of other equipment.
As with the earlier Gemini VI, Gemini IX was originally scheduled to dock with an Agena docking vehicle (Agena was controlled from the ground) but the dock was destroyed during its launch failure. The mission was rescheduled to dock with another type of docking vehicle and was finally launched in early June, 1966, carrying astronauts Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan. Besides the docking operation, the mission was to include a lengthy spacewalk, including the first using a type of jet pack, while untethered to the spacecraft. When the Gemini spacecraft rendezvoused with the docking vehicle it discovered that the fairing which covered the docking port had not been completely ejected following launch, rendering docking impossible.
After the failure to dock, Cernan began an EVA using a new type of suit which had been designed to resist the hot gases expelled by the Astronaut Maneuverability Unit (AMU), essentially a jet pack. The new suit, once pressurized, rendered the astronaut almost unable to move. He managed to work to the base of the spacecraft where the AMU was kept, but his heart rate reached up to 180 beats per minute, and his exertions in the hot suit caused him to sweat excessively, which in turn caused his visor to fog over, limiting his visibility. Stafford ordered the EVA ended over Cernan’s objections, recognizing the hazards which would be faced getting out of the AMU by the exhausted astronaut. Gemini IX A returned to earth later that same day.