Apollo 10

Key facts

Mission & specifications

Mission

Apollo 10 was the full dress rehearsal — everything but the landing itself. Launched on 18 May 1969, Thomas Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan flew the complete Apollo spacecraft to the Moon and tested every step of a landing mission short of touching down. In lunar orbit, Stafford and Cernan boarded the Lunar Module 'Snoopy' and descended to within about fifteen kilometres of the surface — skimming low over the Sea of Tranquility to scout the very approach Apollo 11 would fly two months later — while Young orbited overhead in the Command Module 'Charlie Brown'. There was a heart-stopping moment when the lander tumbled briefly during a staging manoeuvre, quickly brought back under control. The mission was never meant to land: the lander flew the approach and then climbed back to rejoin Young. By rehearsing navigation, the lunar-orbit rendezvous and the spacecraft's behaviour so close to the surface, Apollo 10 retired the last unknowns, leaving Apollo 11 with only the final descent to attempt.

1. 1969The dress rehearsal launchesLaunch

   Stafford, Young and Cernan fly the full Apollo spacecraft to the Moon to rehearse everything but the landing.

2. 1969'Snoopy' skims the MoonMilestone

   Stafford and Cernan take the Lunar Module to within 15 km of the surface, scouting Apollo 11's landing approach.

3. 1969SplashdownMission end

   With the rehearsal complete, only the final descent remains for Apollo 11.

Images

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