#lunar orbit

What’s that out my window? A lunar rendezvous is in progress between the Command Service Module & Lunar Module during Apollo 10, May 1969. A10 was the 2nd mission to orbit the moon (after Apollo 8) & served as a dress rehearsal for a landing on the moon. The mission was flown by John Young, Tom Stafford & Gene Cernan. They flew the Lunar Module 8.4 nautical miles above the moon’s surface. This is the point where a powered lunar descent would commence. On the way home they set a speed record for a crewed spacecraft at 39,897 km/h (11.08 km/s or 24,791 mph); a record which still stands today.

Some space age reading material. A brilliant & colourful cover depicting the passion of the space race between the USA & USSR courtesy Time Magazine, Dec 6, 1968. Later that month, NASA would win the race to a crewed lunar orbit via Apollo 8 & astronauts James Lovell, Frank Borman & William Anders. Such an exciting decade of historic firsts.