posted 12-13-2008 07:00 PM               

Astronauts' Appearance & Exhibition Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Apollo 10

Just before the first man landed on the moon, Charlie Brown and Snoopy soared through space with NASA's Apollo 10 mission in May 1969. The Charles M. Schulz Museum is celebrating the 40th anniversary of this historic space flight with its newest exhibition, To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA, running January 31 through July 20, 2009.

Apollo 10 Astronauts & Support Personnel Appear
Saturday, January 31, 2009

Two of the three Apollo 10 astronauts, Captain Eugene A. Cernan and Lieutenant General Thomas P. Stafford, plus three support personnel, will be at the Charles M. Schulz Museum on Saturday, January 31 from 1 to 3 p.m. to meet and greet visitors. The Apollo 10 support personnel are Captain Chuck Smiley, helicopter pilot of the recovery team; Wes Chesser, primary recovery swimmer of the recovery team; and Jamye Flowers Coplin, a NASA secretary who was filmed giving Apollo 10 astronauts a special "Snoopy" send off.

Museum members will be invited to attend a special evening reception and presentation featuring Apollo 10 astronauts Captain Cernan and General Stafford and the three personnel support members.

The To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA exhibition takes a look at the Apollo 10 and the Peanuts characters' role in that space flight and in NASA's safety campaign. The exhibit will feature a one-third scale model of the Apollo command module from the Johnson Space Center, an Apollo-era flight suit, the actual image of Charlie Brown that was flown aboard Apollo 10, and a special children's area for creative play.

As the decade of the 1960s was coming to a close, America, along with the rest of the world, waited with great anticipation to see if NASA could achieve President John F. Kennedy's challenge from 1961--to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

The astronauts of Apollo 10 -- Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young, and Eugene A. Cernan -- nicknamed their command and lunar modules "Charlie Brown" and "Snoopy," respectively, and carried sketches of the duo aboard their space craft. Stafford and Cernan piloted "Snoopy" to within 50,000 feet of the lunar surface as they scouted the landing area for the Apollo 11 mission, scheduled for July 1969.

Attending Apollo 10 Astronauts

Captain Eugene A. Cernan is distinguished as the last man to leave his footprints on the moon in December of 1972. He was the second American to walk in space during the Gemini 9 mission (June 1966); a crew member on Apollo 10, the second flight to the moon (May 1969); and the commander of the last lunar landing, Apollo 17 (1972). In 1976 Cernan retired from the Navy and NASA and became a private aerospace consultant. He continues to be an advocate for space exploration and education.

Lieutenant General Thomas P. Stafford's careers in the US Air Force and NASA have earned him much recognition for his abilities as a pilot, leader, and scientist. In May 1969, General Stafford commanded the Apollo 10 mission, executing the first rendezvous around the moon; during reentry the spacecraft reached 24,792 mph, earning Stafford a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest speed ever attained by man. He has flown over 127 different types of aircraft and helicopters and four different types of spacecraft, logged over 507 hours in space flight during six missions, and wears the Air Force Command Pilot Astronaut Wings.

Attending Apollo 10 Support Personnel

Navy Frogman Wesley T. Chesser was the swim team leader for the recovery team of Apollo missions 6, 10, and 11. Chesser also provided introductory training for the Apollo 12 swim recovery team.

Chuck Smiley was the Navy helicopter pilot for the recovery of Apollo 10. "Chuck could get closer to the water than just about any helicopter pilot," said swim team leader Wes Chesser. He added, "What many didn't realize was that Chuck had to compensate for the wave height as he hovered over the water. I think more than once his rear wheel was clipped by the wave crests. Yet he seemed unfazed."

Jamye Flowers Coplin was assigned as secretary to Flight B Chief, Gordon Cooper, backup commander of Apollo 10. In May 1969 she accompanied the Apollo 10 prime, backup, and support crews to Kennedy Space Center, Florida. While standing at the door of the crew quarters with a large plush Snoopy during the crew walk out on launch day, May 18, 1969, she was given an unexpected opportunity to give Apollo 10 astronauts Stafford, Young, and Cernan a surprise "Snoopy" send-off, which was captured by official Apollo 10 mission NASA video and still photographs.

posted 12-15-2008 05:24 AM               

Of particular interest is the current planning for specialised attention to the display of one of the museum's most important artifacts, namely Charlie Brown, the Apollo 10 CSM.

I will confirm specific details as and when they become available to me.

posted 12-17-2008 03:00 AM               

There are plans to "re-vamp" the display but I am not in a position to disclose details at this stage.

What I can confirm is that during my recent conversations with the Museum, they now acknowledge that Charlie Brown is one of their most important artifacts and that fact will be reflected in the events planned for next year.

The existing signage is almost non-existent and the display of this artifact falls well short of the standards set by other museums
who display Apollo CSMs.

posted 04-12-2009 12:48 PM            

Derek Casari
Development Director, Galaxy Explorers
"Encouraging the pursuit of science and engineering"
dcasari@foge.org, www.foge.org

From Lt. Col Kent: This is NOT a US government or US Air Force sponsored event. I am working on behalf of the "Friends of the Oklahoma History Center"; a 501(c)(3) organization.

The Oklahoma History Center is hosting the Apollo X 40th Anniversary. The sponsorship breakdown is:

• $7500: 6 people would be invited to a sponsor-only DV reception at 5:15 p.m. with all the astronauts and other DVs prior to the cocktail hour. The same 6 people would sit at a table with an astronaut and his spouse. All six would receive a signed book from Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan. The corporate sponsor's logo would be displayed prominently in the program, at the entrance to the Tom Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, OK, at the entrance to the Oklahoma History Center for the evening’s banquet and the afternoon’s media event. Also the corporate sponsor's logo would be featured in "Mistletoe Leaves"; a 8000-subscriber magazine sponsored by the Oklahoma History Center.

• $5000: 8 people would be invited to a sponsor-only DV reception at 5:15 p.m. with all the astronauts and other DVs prior to the cocktail hour. 8 people would sit at a table. The corporate sponsor's logo would be displayed prominently in the program, at the entrance to the Tom Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, OK, and at the entrance to the Oklahoma History Center for the evening’s banquet and the afternoon’s media event. Also the corporate sponsor's logo would be featured in "Mistletoe Leaves"; a 8000-subscriber magazine sponsored by the Oklahoma History Center.

• $2500: 4 people would be invited to a sponsor-only DV reception at 5:15 p.m. with all the astronauts and other DVs prior to the cocktail hour. 4 people would share a table. The corporate sponsor's logo would be displayed prominently in the program, at the entrance to the Tom Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, OK, and at the entrance to the Oklahoma History Center for the evening’s banquet and the afternoon’s media event. Also the corporate sponsor's logo would be featured in "Mistletoe Leaves"; a 8000-subscriber magazine sponsored by the Oklahoma History Center.

• $1000: 2 people would receive advance tickets to the Apollo X 40th Anniversary Dinner. The corporate sponsor's logo would be displayed in the program, at the entrance to the Tom Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, OK, and at the entrance to the Oklahoma History Center for the evening’s banquet and the afternoon’s media event. Also the corporate sponsor's logo would be featured in "Mistletoe Leaves"; a 8000-subscriber magazine sponsored by the Oklahoma History Center.

• $500: 2 people would receive advance tickets to the Apollo X 40th Anniversary Dinner. The corporate sponsor's logo would be displayed in the program, at the entrance to the Tom Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, OK, and at the entrance to the Oklahoma History Center for the evening’s banquet and the afternoon’s media event. Also the corporate sponsor's logo would be featured in "Mistletoe Leaves"; a 8000-subscriber magazine sponsored by the Oklahoma History Center.

The main difference in the sponsor levels are the size of the logo display and access to the DV-only reception prior to the cocktail hour. I would be interested in discussing additional signage or other advertising requirements so long as I can apply those same rules to other sponsors.

The Apollo X Anniversary schedule of events is still being hammered out but here is an overview:

• Afternoon, 20 May: 1200 (?) Astronauts arrive in OKC
  
• 1400 - Limited media event/interviews with Lt Gen Stafford and CAPT Cernan
  
• 1500 - Declaration by OK governor to announce Apollo X day
  
• Evening, 20 May: 1800 - Invitation only black tie dinner and program (Oklahoma History Center)

Any money a corporate sponsor contributes will go specifically go to defray the costs of the Apollo astronauts attending the anniversary dinner. Also, NASA TV will be covering the event with the potential for additional local and national media coverage. Thanks for your consideration. I will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Sincerely,

Lt Col Kent Greg A. Kent, Lt Col, USAF
Chief, 552d Stan/Eval Division
Co-Chairman, National Apollo X 40th Anniversary Committee

posted 04-16-2009 01:52 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by leslie:
I am delighted to announce the Science Museum in London is planning a series of events to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 10

---

I am also authorized to accept orders for patches for those of you who desire to have a souvenir of this event but who cannot attend.

This patch will only be available for those who order now. When the museum's order is filled then no more patches will be made (not officially anyway and not by me.)

posted 05-14-2009 05:32 PM               

NASA, Newseum Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Apollo 10

NASA and the Newseum will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 10 mission during a program at 12:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 18, in Washington.

Astronauts Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan will participate in the program moderated by journalist-in-residence Nick Clooney. The event is open to reporters and visitors to the Newseum, which is located at 555 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. in Washington. The event will be carried live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's Web site.

On May 18, 1969, Apollo 10 was launched on a mission to orbit the moon. The flight was a test run, a crucial dress rehearsal leading up to the historic Apollo 11 mission that two months later carried the first people to walk on the moon. Apollo 10 was the fourth manned mission in the Apollo program and the second to reach lunar orbit.

During the mission, John Young piloted the command module, while Stafford and Cernan descended to within 8.4 nautical miles of the moon's surface. Cernan, the second American to walk in space, later would become the last person to walk on moon during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Apollo 10's journey to the moon and back to Earth took 192 hours, 3 minutes and 23 seconds.

The Newseum is a 250,000-square-foot museum of news that offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. In its seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces and visitor services, the Newseum offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made.

posted 05-16-2009 05:10 PM               

The Oklahoma History Center will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo X mission on Wednesday with a dinner honoring two of its three astronauts, Gen. Thomas Stafford of Weatherford and Capt. Eugene Cernan of Chicago.

A few $125 tickets remain for the dinner, which begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails and a program at 7 p.m. Other astronauts and key mission leaders of the historic effort will be present at the dinner.

posted 05-16-2009 06:16 PM               

Of course, knowing what we know about him, it could be simply due to an "eye problem".

posted 05-22-2009 02:03 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by leslie:
Of particular interest is the current planning for specialised attention to the display of one of the museum's most important artifacts, namely Charlie Brown, the Apollo 10 CSM.

---