Kuiper makes a better door than a window with this couch flown on Apollo 10.
Thank you @usshornetmuseum for granting Kuiper permission aboard. I highly recommend stopping by this wonderful museum in Alameda, CA. The USS Hornet was the pickup ship for Apollo 11.
This is Commander Tom Stafford’s custom-fitted seat from Apollo 10! On May 18, 1969, Tom launched into space along with Gene Cernan and John Young. Apollo 10 was our “dress rehearsal” (full practice run) for Apollo 11. We did everything the same except for actually touching down on the Moon. The lunar module came within 47000 feet (14300 m) of the Moon’s surface.
The LM was dubbed “Snoopy” and the CSM “Charlie Brown.” These names were approved by Charles Schultz himself! Schultz drew Peanuts cartoons featuring “Snoopy the Astrobeagle,” and Tom Stafford even pet a stuffed Snoopy on the nose for good luck on the way to the launch. Pic in story.
According to Schultz’s son, when Charles was asked by friends if he was concerned in case of mission failure, he said “if the astronauts could risk their lives, he could risk his characters.” ❤️ To this day, the Silver Snoopy award is granted to a tiny number of exemplary NASA employees for accomplishments related to human safety or mission success.
Apollo 10 was also one of my favorite transcripts to poke through. Aboard the lunar module, both Tom and Gene spend nearly 15 minutes straight just completely geeking out about boulders on the Moon’s surface. ? (Meanwhile, in the command module, John reports back to Mission Control that they are “mumbling about boulders and things right now.” ?)
And on the way home, this gem appears ?
“Stafford: Give me a napkin quick. There’s a turd ? floating through the air.
Young: I didn’t do it. It ain’t one of mine.
Cernan: I don’t think it’s one of mine.
Stafford: Mine was a little more sticky than that. Throw that away.
Young: God almighty.”
Tomorrow our countdown to Apollo 11 begins in earnest! We’ll be “livegramming” key moments from the mission in real time.
Original post: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz6mLgQlQaC/