The July 20, 1969, moon landing
gets so much attention that I thought I would give a moment of recognition to
the Apollo 10 mission which originally had been chosen for the landing, but,
out of a sense of extra safety, did a “dress rehearsal” for Apollo 11.
The Apollo 10 Mission rounded the moon in orbit
and performed some procedures and techniques which would be needed for the
mission to actually land on the moon.
This mission took place
May 18-26, 1969.
The personnel involved
were :
Thomas Stafford
John Young
Eugene Cernan
Recognition also goes to
Charles M Schulz for his artwork created for the mission.
The Command and Service
Module was code-named Charlie Brown
The Lunar Module was
code-named Snoopy.
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The Lunar Module, Snoopy, just above the lunar surface. The craft descended down to 47,400 feet (about 9 miles) above the moon before returning to the command and service module during Apollo 10. (Image credit: John Young/NASA)
As the world continues to
explore and investigate space and it assets, I offer the official position of
the United Methodist Church regarding stewardship of space…
E. Protecting Space
“God’s
creation encompasses not only the earth but the entire cosmos, including space.
Our charge to be responsible stewards thus extends well beyond humankind’s
immediate environs and encompasses not only our own solar system but also other
galaxies. Hence, we reject the exploitation, commodification and militarization
of space. We express our hope that the exploration and settlement of space,
including the moon and other planetary bodies, take place peacefully and
cooperatively, and in such fashion that the benefits and resources of any
further exploration and development accrue to all humanity.”
You can see a brief discussion about the Apollo 1o mission at this Youtube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq8cyvmJMNQ
