Apollo 10 by Jackson Tyler

Apollo 10, launched on May 18, 1969, was the critical "dress rehearsal" mission for the first lunar landing. It was the fourth crewed Apollo flight and the second to orbit the Moon, with astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young, and Gene Cernan. The mission demonstrated the performance of the complete Apollo spacecraft, including the Command and Service Module (CSM) and the Lunar Module (LM), in lunar orbit. The crew flew the Lunar Module, named Snoopy, to within about 14.4 kilometers of the lunar surface, testing descent and ascent engines, radar, and communications systems critical for landing and rendezvous. They performed the first lunar orbit rendezvous with the LM and CSM, including docking and undocking maneuvers, proving the feasibility of the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous mission mode. Apollo 10 set a record for the highest speed attained by a crewed vehicle, approximately 39,897 km/h (24,791 mph) during return from the Moon. The mission lasted about 8 days, with 31 lunar orbits completed, and safely returned the crew to Earth. The mission required precise execution of complex maneuvers in lunar orbit, including descent to low altitude and rendezvous, with no margin for error. The crew had to manage the psychological and physical demands of nearly nine days in space, including working in confined quarters and handling high-stress situations. Read More

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• May 2025