Apollo 10 was the fourth crewed mission in the NASA space program, and the second capsule to orbit the moon. Launched on May 18, 1969, it was a rehearsal for NASA’s first moon landing, testing all of the components and procedures, just short of actually landing. The Apollo 10 module, measuring just four metres wide, was dubbed Snoopy and had been believed to have been lost forever in 900 million km of space after it was jettisoned.
Snoopy, named after the popular animated dog, was used as a dummy run for the iconic NASA Apollo 11 lunar landing, to take place two months after Apollo 10 in July 1969.
Two of the three astronauts transferred into it to float over the moon’s pockmarked surface.
The NASA crew returned to the command module shortly afterwards.
After demonstrating the docking manoeuvre, the mission was over and Snoopy was shot off into space.
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However Nick Howes, a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, is now convinced Apollo 10 has been found and all they need is someone to go and retrieve it.
Mr Howes said he began the search for the module in 2011 and calculated the odds of finding it were 235 million to one.
He and a team of astronomers analysed reams of radar data and in 2018 found what they believe is Snoopy.
The Royal Astronomical Society fellow said: “We are 98 percent convinced we have found it.
“Until someone gets really close to it and gets a detailed radar profile, we can not be sure.”
He said it would be a “really fantastic achievement for science” if the capsule was retrieved.
“As a piece of history, a moment in history, this is a unique artefact.”
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Howes said someone with space expertise such as SpaceX founder Elon Musk would be the ideal candidate to bring Snoopy back to Earth.
“I would love to get Elon Musk and his wonderful spacecraft up and grab it and bring it down.
“As Apollo 10 crew member Eugene Cernan said to me, ‘Son, if you find that and bring it down, imagine the queues at the Smithsonian?’”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1138275/nasa-apollo-10-snoopy-moon-capsule-royal-astronomical-society-spacex-space-news
2019-06-11 06:30:00Z
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