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| An Apollo 10 launch cover from "Heritage Crafts", postmarked at Kennedy Space Center with a machine cancel on May 18, 1969, signed by Eugene Cernan, John Young and Tom Stafford. This cover was orginally from the family collection of Richard Gordon. - Heritage Auctions |
Apollo 10, with Thomas Stafford as Commander, John Young as Command Module Pilot, and Gene Cernan as Lunar Module Pilot, launched from Kennedy Space Center on May 18, 1969. This mission was essentially a dress rehearsal for the Apollo 11 moon landing. Following the tests performed during Apollo 9 in Earth's orbit, the Apollo 10 crew flew a fully operational lunar module to the Moon, coming within 16 kilometers of the surface to photograph possible landing sites in Mare Tranquillitatis. The mission aimed to evaluate all systems and procedures without actually landing on the Moon.
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| Photo: Astronaut-geologist Harrison Schmitt provides a briefing to the Apollo 10 crew on the lunar topographic features they will observe during their dress rehearsal flight for the moon landing. |
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| The Apollo 10 crew—Gene Cernan, Thomas Stafford, and John Young—selected characters from Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" comic strip, specifically "Snoopy" and "Charlie Brown," as their mission's call signs and mascots. |
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| An Apollo 10 launch cover featuring a printed "mission insignia" cachet, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center with a machine cancel on May 18, 1969, signed by John Young, Gene Cernan and Tom Stafford. This cover was originally from the personal collection of Clark C. McClelland. - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles |
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| Photo: Astronaut Thomas Stafford extends his hand to pat the nose of a stuffed "Snoopy" dog held by secretary Miss Jayme Flowers, following his suiting up for the Apollo 10 launch at Cape Kennedy. |
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| An Apollo 10 launch cover featuring the "KSC Officials" stamped cachet, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center with a machine cancel on May 18, 1969, signed by Tom Stafford, John Young and Gene Cernan. - RRAuction |
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| An Apollo 10 launch cover from "Astro Covers", postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on May 18, 1969. |
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| An Apollo 10 cover from "Sarzin" featuring an illustration of the spacecraft en route to the Moon, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on May 18, 1969. |
The crew spent three days traveling to the Moon before entering lunar orbit, where they practiced all the stages leading up to a potential lunar landing.
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| An Apollo 10 cover from "Sarzin" featuring an illustration of the spacecraft during lunar orbit insertion, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on May 21, 1969. |
After the spacecraft achieved lunar orbit on May 22, 1969, Stafford and Cernan, aboard the Lunar Module (nicknamed "Snoopy"), separated from the Command and Service Module ("Charlie Brown"), while Young stayed alone in the Command module. Snoopy was then placed into a descent orbit, descending to an altitude of 15.6 kilometers (8.4 nautical miles) above the Moon's surface, marking the point where powered descent for landing would begin in a real moon landing mission. At this altitude, the astronauts were able to observe the Moon's mountains and craters in greater detail.
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| An Apollo 10 cover from "Sarzin" featuring an illustration of the lunar module's separation from the command module, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on May 22, 1969. |
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| Photo: A televised image of the Moon's surface, captured by the Apollo 10 crew. |
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| An Apollo 10 cover from the “Space City Cover Society” commemorating the mission’s “dress rehearsal” for a crewed lunar landing, with the actual landing being the only major phase not performed. The cover was postmarked at Houston, Texas, with a machine cancel on May 22, 1969. |
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| Photo: An image of a rille on the Moon's surface, captured by the Apollo 10 crew. |
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| An Apollo 10 cover from “Sarzin” featuring an illustration of the Lunar Module “Snoopy” approaching the Moon’s surface to within 9 miles, as the crew surveyed the Sea of Tranquility landing site for the upcoming Apollo 11 mission. The cover was postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on May 22, 1969. |
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| Photo: An image of Crater Taruntius H, captured from the lunar module. |
Once the test flight was completed, Snoopy was separated into two parts: the descent stage, which would stay on the Moon's surface in an actual landing missions, was intended to crash into the Moon, while the ascent stage, carrying Stafford and Cernan, reunited with Young in the Command Module.
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| An Apollo 10 cover featuring an illustration of the Lunar Module “Snoopy” descended on the Moon’s surface, humorously depicting a landing at “Snoopyville”, postmarked at Satellite Beach, Florida, with a hand cancel on May 22, 1969. |
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| An Apollo 10 cover from "Astro Covers", featuring the Lunar Module rendezvousing with the Command Module in lunar orbit after completed rehearsing the test flight without actually touching down on the moon. The cover was postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on May 22, 1969. |
Once Cernan and Stafford had re-entered Charlie Brown, Snoopy was sealed off and detached from Charlie Brown. The remaining fuel in the ascent stage engine was burned to propel it into orbit around the Sun. After ejecting the ascent stage, the crew rested and conducted photography and observations of the lunar surface from orbit.
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| Photo: An image of Crater Censorinus, captured from the command module. |
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| An Apollo 10 cover from "Astro Covers" featuring a photograph of the lunar surface taken by the Apollo 10 crew, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on May 23, 1969. |
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| Photo: The far side of the Moon, photographed by the Apollo 10 crew.
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During the 31st orbit, the Service Propulsion System (SPS) was activated again. Apollo 10 was on the far side of the Moon when it was placed on a trajectory back to Earth.
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| An Apollo 10 cover from “Sarzin” featuring a spacecraft in lunar orbit, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on May 24, 1969. This cover commemorates the successful completion of the Apollo 10 mission and anticipates the upcoming Apollo 11 Moon landing. |
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| Photo: This image of the Moon was captured after the trans-Earth insertion, with the Apollo 10 spacecraft positioned high above the lunar equator on May 24, 1969. The prominent dark area near the center of the photograph is the Sea of Tranquility, which was designated as the planned landing site for Apollo 11. |
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| Photo: John W. Young shaves with a safety razor and lather during the return flight of Apollo 10, with Flight Commander Tom Stafford visible in the background. This marked the first instance of shaving in space. All three astronauts landed clean-shaven.
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On May 26, 1969, Apollo 10 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, about 400 miles east of American Samoa, where it was retrieved by the USS Princeton.
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| Photo: USS Princeton, the prime recovery ship for Apollo 10. |
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| An Apollo 10 splashdown cover from the “Space City Cover Society”, postmarked at Houston, Texas, with a machine cancel on May 26, 1969. |
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| An Apollo 10 splashdown cover from “Astro Covers”, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on May 26, 1969. |
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| Photo: Apollo 10 crew departing from the command module, Charlie Brown. |
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| An Apollo 10 recovery cover from “Astro Covers”, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on May 26, 1969. |
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| Photo: The scene in Mission Control at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston after the successful splashdown of the Apollo 10 spacecraft. |
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| Photo: The Apollo 10 crew — Eugene Cernan, John Young, and Tom Stafford—along with commanding officer Captain Carl Mann Cruse aboard the USS Princeton. |
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| An Apollo 10 splashdown cover from “Sarzin”, featuring a photo of the Apollo 10 crew aboard the USS Princeton, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on May 26, 1969. |
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| An Apollo 10 Captain's Cover from the USS Princeton, postmarked aboard USS Princeton with a machine canceled on May 26, 1969, signed by John Young, Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan. - Heritage Auctions |
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| An Apollo 10 recovery cover featuring a black “Morris Beck” rubber-stamped cachet, postmarked aboard USS Princeton with a very rare hand cancel on May 26, 1969, signed by John Young, Gene Cernan, and Tom Stafford. - Heritage Auctions |
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| An Apollo 10 recovery cover featuring a magenta “Morris Beck” rubber-stamped cachet, postmarked aboard USS Princeton with a very rare hand cancel on May 26, 1969. |
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| An Apollo 10 recovery cover featuring a magenta “Morris Beck” rubber-stamped cachet, postmarked aboard USS Princeton with a machine canceled on May 26, 1969, signed by John Young, Gene Cernan and Tom Stafford. The signatures were obtained during a NovaSpace signing session. - RegencyStamps |
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| An Apollo 10 recovery cover featuring a magenta “Morris Beck” rubber-stamped cachet, postmarked aboard USS Princeton with a machine canceled on May 26, 1969, signed by commanding officer Captain Carl Mann Cruse. |
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| An Apollo 10 recovery cover featuring a magenta “Morris Beck” rubber-stamped cachet, postmarked aboard USS Princeton with a machine canceled on May 26, 1969, signed by Gene Cernan, NASA recovery team leader Charles Filley, commander of the Pacific-based Task Force 130 Rear Adm. Frederick E. Bakutis, commanding officer Captain Carl Mann Cruse, and helicopter recovery pilot Cdr. Charles B. Smiley. |
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| Photo: The Apollo 10 crew, recently returned from their trip around the Moon, conversed with the Apollo 11 crew, who were preparing for their upcoming lunar landing. |
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| Photo: The Apollo 10 crew at a post-flight news conference on June 7, 1969. |
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| Photo: The Apollo 10 crew returned to the launch site on June 11, 1969. |
