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  Space Cover 321: Astronaut arrest scrubs mission!

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Author Topic:   Space Cover 321: Astronaut arrest scrubs mission!
stevedd841
Member

Posts: 292
From: Millersville, Maryland
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 06-14-2015 05:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for stevedd841   Click Here to Email stevedd841     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Space Cover of the Week, Week 321 (June 14, 2015)

A launch cover for the Apollo 10 lunar mission and signed by Apollo 10 Lunar Module Pilot Gene Cernan on this desirable Heritage cachet cover on launch day, May 18, 1969, at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This is what transpired for the successful launch of the Apollo 10 mission that would qualify the next Apollo mission, Apollo 11, to attempt to land astronauts on the Moon. However, there is also a backstory for events that would have drastically interfered with and possibly would have cancelled the successful launch of Apollo 10. That backstory is this week's Space Cover of the Week's story.

A crew signed launch cover on an Orbit cachet cover is a very difficult cover to find for the Apollo 10 mission, the mission that would provide a go or no go for the Apollo 11 lunar mission two months later that would take astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins to the Moon for America's manned spaceflight landing. The matter of fact cover pictured is cancelled on the Apollo 10 mission launch date of May 18, 1969, with a large circular hand cancel, at Cape Canaveral, Florida. But it does not explain the exciting events of the night prior to the launch of the Apollo 10 mission.

Space Cover #321: Astronaut Arrest Scrubs Moon Mission?

The night before the launch, with special permission to go off base to tell his wife and daughter goodbye, Gene Cernan is admonished that serious consequences would result if anyone sees or recognizes him away from his astronaut quarters near the launch site. He travels on back roads to see his wife and daughter and gets back in his rental car to go back to his astronaut quarters later that night.

Cernan is stopped by a police officer on Banana River Drive for speeding. After a few preliminary questions about driving over the speed limit, the officer notes he is driving a rental car, and asks him where he lives. Cernan says Houston. The police officer incredulously shakes his head, and then says, "You live in Texas and have a California license, and you are drivin' in Florida?" He questions, "Where y'all goin' in such a hurry?" Hoping to only get a moving violation ticket and a fine, with no one the wiser that he is the Lunar Module Pilot of the Apollo 10 lunar mission, Cernan hopes he can continue back to this astronaut quarters and get this mess behind him.

But it isn't playing out this way. Trying to provide only minimal information, Cernan finally replies, "Officer, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me anyway." The police officer decides to take him back to the police station in order to understand all this.

Cernan in his mind is stunned and visualizes the morning headlines in the newspaper, "Astronaut Arrest Scrubs Moon Mission!"

The police officer says, "Step out of the car, please," and reaches for his handcuffs just as a battered Volkswagen abruptly stops on the other side of the road to see what is going on. It turns out to be the launch complex's "Pad Führer," Guenter Wendt, in charge of the launch pad during the Apollo 10 launch operation, surprisingly says to Cernan, "Cheeno! Vaht you doink out here?! You should be gettink ready!"

After Wendt explains to the police officer that Gene Cernan is in the Apollo 10 crew to go to the Moon, the police officer is stumped and resignedly says, "I've heard a lot of **** -and-bull stories in my life, and if you think I'm gonna believe this one, you're crazy!" He walks away shaking his head, "...get the hell outta here! And go to your Moon!"

Steve Durst, SU4379

bobslittlebro
Member

Posts: 179
From: Douglasville, Ga U.S.A.
Registered: Nov 2009

posted 06-14-2015 07:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for bobslittlebro   Click Here to Email bobslittlebro     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
"I've heard a lot of **** -and-bull stories in my life, and if you think I'm gonna believe this one, you're crazy!"
You're crazy Steve! Good story. I have never heard this one!

stevedd841
Member

Posts: 292
From: Millersville, Maryland
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 06-14-2015 08:46 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for stevedd841   Click Here to Email stevedd841     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Tim, many thanks for your comment. This is a great story that I found in Gene Cernan's and Don Davis' book, "Last Man on the Moon,' on pages 193 and 194. And it emphasizes in my mind, that Guenter Wendt, really was the Pad Führer helping Gene Cernan get out of a tight spot with the police.

He may have saved the day by driving on the back roads at Cape Canaveral early in the morning on May 18, 1969.

Ken Havekotte
Member

Posts: 2913
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 06-14-2015 01:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ken Havekotte   Click Here to Email Ken Havekotte     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A great pair of signed covers depicted, Steve, along with an amazing background story.

The Gene Cernan-signed Apollo 10 Heritage cachet cover, in many ways, I've always considered as a possible crew-type insurance cover. But that is another story for another time.

The funny story of Apollo 10's lunar module pilot being pulled over by a patrolman was also told by Guenter Wendt himself (with Russ Still) in his own book,"The Unbroken Chain," on pages 128-129.

During the Apollo era, Guenter's home was on Merritt Island just off the Banana River Drive that he used frequently in driving to and from the Kennedy Space Center's main gate #2.

It had to be quite an impression to the policeman when Guenter and Geno told the officer that evening, while pointing across the river to an enormously lighted-up skyward area north of them — something like, "See that big bright-shinning floodlighted rocket way over there, this guy (Wendt pointing to Cernan) will be on top of it tomorrow morning!"

stevedd841
Member

Posts: 292
From: Millersville, Maryland
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 06-15-2015 07:12 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for stevedd841   Click Here to Email stevedd841     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ken, many thanks for adding to the story for the events the night of the Apollo 10 launch. Am sure those floodlights on the Apollo 10's Saturn V were bright enough for everyone to see anywhere in the Cape. I will have to check out Russ Still's book about Cernan being stopped in a rental car with a police officer ready to arrest him and take him back to the police station when Guenter Wendt shows up in a battered Volkswagen and tells him he has to get back to get ready for his flight. It doesn't get any better than that!

Ken Havekotte
Member

Posts: 2913
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 06-15-2015 04:20 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ken Havekotte   Click Here to Email Ken Havekotte     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
No thanks needed, Steve, and yes!!! If you have not seen a Saturn V moon rocket on its pad awaiting liftoff the evening before — Oh my — its a breathtaking and awesome sight to take in!

Even along the Banana River Drive, just about anyplace along the river road, the shinning white floodlights beaming skyward from the nearly 450'-towering launch pad and it's mighty rocket can easily be seen.

With a shuttle on the pad the evening before a liftoff, yes indeed, it can be seen as well — but it was never quite the same as with a 363'-high Saturn V launch vehicle.

cvrlvr99
Member

Posts: 139
From: Arlington, TX
Registered: Aug 2014

posted 06-20-2015 11:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cvrlvr99   Click Here to Email cvrlvr99     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What Ken didn't say was that there was so much electricity in the air that at night one could actually FEEL it around you. Seeing the lit up Saturn V at night is a memory from Apollo 16 that I'll never forget.

stevedd841
Member

Posts: 292
From: Millersville, Maryland
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 06-20-2015 04:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for stevedd841   Click Here to Email stevedd841     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Tim forwards this Heritage cover for Apollo 10 similar to the one posted, but signed by mission commander Tom Stafford. It also is addressed to Stafford at Kennedy Space Center with his office code number in the address similar to the cover to Cernan shown above. Many thanks for offering it, Tim.

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