Agena target vehicle. Orbiting Agena space craft, photographed from Gemini VIII. The Agena was used in the American Gemini space programme as a docking vehicle. The Gemini VIII mission, piloted by Neil Armstrong, was the first to dock on March 16th 1966. The Agena remained in space until its orbit decayed and it re-entred the Earth's atmosphere on September 15th 1967.