Astronaut Thomas Stafford, Commander of Apollo 10, Dies At 93 (apnews.com) 29
The Associated Press reports on the passing of astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, the commander of a dress rehearsal flight for the 1969 moon landing and the first U.S.-Soviet space linkup. He was 93. From the report: Stafford, a retired Air Force three-star general, took part in four space missions. Before Apollo 10, he flew on two Gemini flights, including the first rendezvous of two U.S. capsules in orbit. He died in a hospital near his Space Coast Florida home, said Max Ary, director of the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Stafford was one of 24 NASA astronauts who flew to the moon, but he did not land on it. Only seven of them are still alive. After he put away his flight suit, Stafford was the go-to guy for NASA when it sought independent advice on everything from human Mars missions to safety issues to returning to flight after the 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident. He chaired an oversight group that looked into how to fix the then-flawed Hubble Space Telescope, earning a NASA public service award.
"Tom was involved in so many things that most people were not aware of, such as being known as the 'Father of Stealth,'" Ary said in an email. Stafford was in charge of the famous 'Area 51' desert base that was the site of many UFO theories, but the home of testing of Air Force stealth technologies. The Apollo 10 mission in May 1969 set the stage for Apollo 11's historic mission two months later. Stafford and Gene Cernan took the lunar lander nicknamed Snoopy within 9 miles (14 kilometers) of the moon's surface. Astronaut John Young stayed behind in the main spaceship dubbed Charlie Brown. "The most impressive sight, I think, that really changed your view of things is when you first see Earth," Stafford recalled in a 1997 oral history, talking about the view from lunar orbit. Then came the moon's far side: "The Earth disappears. There's this big black void." Apollo 10's return to Earth set the world's record for fastest speed by a crewed vehicle at 24,791 mph (39,897 kph).
After the moon landings ended, NASA and the Soviet Union decided on a joint docking mission and Stafford, a one-star general at the time, was chosen to command the American side. It meant intensive language training, being followed by the KGB while in the Soviet Union, and lifelong friendships with cosmonauts. The two teams of space travelers even went to Disney World and rode Space Mountain together before going into orbit and joining ships. "We have capture," Stafford radioed in Russian as the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft hooked up. His Russian counterpart, Alexei Leonov, responded in English: "Well done, Tom, it was a good show. I vote for you." [...] The 1975 mission included two days during which the five men worked together on experiments. After, the two teams toured the world together, meeting President Gerald Ford and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. "It helped prove to the rest of the world that two completely opposite political systems could work together," Stafford recalled at a 30th anniversary gathering in 2005. Later, Stafford was a central part of discussions in the 1990s that brought Russia into the partnership building and operating the International Space Station.
"Tom was involved in so many things that most people were not aware of, such as being known as the 'Father of Stealth,'" Ary said in an email. Stafford was in charge of the famous 'Area 51' desert base that was the site of many UFO theories, but the home of testing of Air Force stealth technologies. The Apollo 10 mission in May 1969 set the stage for Apollo 11's historic mission two months later. Stafford and Gene Cernan took the lunar lander nicknamed Snoopy within 9 miles (14 kilometers) of the moon's surface. Astronaut John Young stayed behind in the main spaceship dubbed Charlie Brown. "The most impressive sight, I think, that really changed your view of things is when you first see Earth," Stafford recalled in a 1997 oral history, talking about the view from lunar orbit. Then came the moon's far side: "The Earth disappears. There's this big black void." Apollo 10's return to Earth set the world's record for fastest speed by a crewed vehicle at 24,791 mph (39,897 kph).
After the moon landings ended, NASA and the Soviet Union decided on a joint docking mission and Stafford, a one-star general at the time, was chosen to command the American side. It meant intensive language training, being followed by the KGB while in the Soviet Union, and lifelong friendships with cosmonauts. The two teams of space travelers even went to Disney World and rode Space Mountain together before going into orbit and joining ships. "We have capture," Stafford radioed in Russian as the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft hooked up. His Russian counterpart, Alexei Leonov, responded in English: "Well done, Tom, it was a good show. I vote for you." [...] The 1975 mission included two days during which the five men worked together on experiments. After, the two teams toured the world together, meeting President Gerald Ford and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. "It helped prove to the rest of the world that two completely opposite political systems could work together," Stafford recalled at a 30th anniversary gathering in 2005. Later, Stafford was a central part of discussions in the 1990s that brought Russia into the partnership building and operating the International Space Station.
fuk it 1st pr0st with the obvious (Score:1, Informative)
https://xkcd.com/893/ [xkcd.com]
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Ignoring the fact that Stafford wasn't one of them, I found that someone had kept that graph up to date and it was pretty close as of mid-2018.
Tried to find another update, but it seems there has been no need - all are still alive and kicking!
https://i.imgur.com/G7DbbBi.pn... [imgur.com]
Rest in peace (Score:2)
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People like him don't want to work with people who would stab them in the back at the drop of a hat.
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How do you feel about Mark Kelly? Obviously he doesn't go back to the moonshot era, but he's an astronaut and a former Navy captain.
Absolutely not. He's a gun-grabber.
Re: Rest in peace (Score:2)
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The details of the actual opinions and policies are sometimes less important than how zealous or not one is about them. I'd much rather thave someone with policies I disagree with in office if they can compromise and do what is necessary when needed, rather than a hardcore zealot that agrees with my policies all the time.
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When one kid died from lawn darts, they were banned immediately [snopes.com]. When thousands die every year from intentional or unintentional gunshots, no one bats an eye.
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John Glenn was a primary candidate for president twice, but couldn't raise money, in part because he wouldn't promise to give the big corporate donors everything under the sun like "veteran" political hack Walter Mondale. Thus we ended up with Reagan for a second term, when most of the Washington insiders were aware that he was showing signs of Alzheimers already.
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It's an old cliche that the best leaders are the ones who don't ask for the job.
Those guys were TOUGH (Score:3)
It seems most, if not all the early astronauts make it into their late 80s or 90s.
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It seems most, if not all the early astronauts make it into their late 80s or 90s.
You preempted me in this one. It is indeed remarkable how long-lived so many of the Apollo astronauts have been, taking into account the obvious short-term dangers associated with their activities, and the less obvious,, but probably more lethal, long-term ones.
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It seems most, if not all the early astronauts make it into their late 80s or 90s.
You preempted me in this one. It is indeed remarkable how long-lived so many of the Apollo astronauts have been, taking into account the obvious short-term dangers associated with their activities, and the less obvious,, but probably more lethal, long-term ones.
True dat. They were also selected from the healthiest and strongest, and received pretty intensive health care before and I believe after their missions.
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Then how do you explain that 4 ex-presidents in the last 30 years lived to pass 93 years of age? Before the year 2000, zero had. It's either some statistical anomaly or health technology has improved.
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Then how do you explain that 4 ex-presidents in the last 30 years lived to pass 93 years of age? Before the year 2000, zero had. It's either some statistical anomaly or health technology has improved.
Presidents have damn good medical intervention too. I need to explain nothing - Come back after you see the exhaustive medical work the Astronauts went through.
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It's also that healthcare got a lot better. Before 1950 no ex-president had lived to their 90s. In the last 30 years, 4 have crossed that mark.
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Proof that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.
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They selected the very best from a pool who were already way above average. They had a profile of fitness, flight experience, military experience and intelligence that those in charge deemed would make them most likely to succeed at the mission. It's not surprising that they'd also be long lived.
God speed! (Score:1)
You possibly had one of the biggest impacts on humanity.
RIP (Score:2)
Thank you for what you did for all of us.
Only 7 still around. (Score:3)
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why? (Score:2)
Why are astronauts made out to be heroes? They are at best test pilots, and I betchya more test pilots have died in the line of duty than astronauts.
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Why are astronauts made out to be heroes? They are at best test pilots, and I betchya more test pilots have died in the line of duty than astronauts.
Why does it have to be either/or? Test pilots are heroes too. Most would also volunteer to strap themselves atop two million pounds of fuel. Much better than today's heroes who play with balls or grimace and shake in front of cameras.