Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford passed away at the age of 93. He was the commander of a practice flight before the 1969 moon landing and the first ever space connection between the U.S. and Soviet Union.

Stafford, a former three-star general in the Air Force, was involved in four space missions. Prior to Apollo 10, he was a part of two Gemini missions, one of which included the first rendezvous of two U.S. capsules while in orbit. According to Max Ary, the director of the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma, Stafford passed away in a hospital near his home on the Space Coast of Florida.

Out of the 24 NASA astronauts to fly to the moon, Stafford was one of them, although he did not participate in the landing. Presently, only seven of the 24 are still living.

“NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, formerly known as Twitter via X, announced that General Tom Stafford passed away today. Stafford was a brave explorer of the eternal heavens as a Gemini and Apollo astronaut, and also served as a peacemaker during the Apollo-Soyuz mission. Those of us who were fortunate enough to know him are filled with sorrow but grateful for the privilege of knowing such a remarkable individual.”

Following his retirement from active flight duty, Stafford became a trusted consultant for NASA, providing valuable insights on a variety of topics such as potential human missions to Mars, safety concerns, and the recovery process following the 2003 Columbia disaster. He also served as the chair of an advisory committee tasked with addressing and resolving issues with the Hubble Space Telescope, for which he received a prestigious NASA public service recognition.

Ary shared in an email that Tom was involved in numerous activities that went unnoticed by most people. He was nicknamed the “Father of Stealth” and was responsible for overseeing the well-known “Area 51” desert base. This base was not only associated with UFO theories, but it also served as a testing ground for Air Force stealth technologies.

In May 1969, the Apollo 10 mission paved the way for the historic Apollo 11 mission two months later. Astronauts Stafford and Gene Cernan piloted the lunar lander, nicknamed Snoopy, within 9 miles (14 kilometers) of the moon’s surface. Meanwhile, astronaut John Young remained in the main spaceship named Charlie Brown.

Stafford remembered in a 1997 recorded interview that the most awe-inspiring moment, in his opinion, that completely altered one’s perspective was the first glimpse of Earth while in lunar orbit.

Next was the backside of the moon: “The Earth vanishes. There’s a significant dark emptiness.”

Upon re-entry, Apollo 10 achieved the record for the highest speed reached by a manned spacecraft, clocking in at 24,791 miles per hour, or 39,897 kilometers per hour.

Following the conclusion of the moon landings, NASA and the Soviet Union came to an agreement for a collaborative docking mission. One-star general Stafford was selected to lead the American team. This entailed extensive language preparation, surveillance by the KGB while in the Soviet Union, and forming lasting bonds with cosmonauts. The two groups of astronauts even visited Disney World and embarked on a joint ride on Space Mountain before launching into orbit and joining their 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.”

In 1975, the mission lasted two days and involved the collaboration of five individuals conducting experiments. Subsequently, the two teams traveled together around the world, where they had the opportunity to meet with both President Gerald Ford and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

During a 30th anniversary event in 2005, Stafford reflected that it demonstrated the potential for cooperation between two vastly different political ideologies to the global community.

Leonov and Stafford formed a strong bond, leading to Leonov helping Stafford adopt two Russian boys when Stafford was in his 70s.

Stafford stated to The Oklahoman in 2004 that they were too advanced in age to take in a child through adoption, but the individuals they ended up fostering were also considered too old to be adopted. Stafford shared that their presence brought immense value to their life, and just because one is retiring does not mean they no longer have anything to contribute.

In the 1990s, Stafford played a crucial role in discussions that resulted in Russia joining efforts to build and operate the International Space Station.

As a child in Weatherford, Oklahoma, Stafford remembers gazing up at the sky and watching enormous DC-3 planes pass by on their transcontinental journeys.

He informed NASA historians that he had longed to fly ever since he was 5 or 6 years old after seeing airplanes.

Stafford attended the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in the highest 1% percentile of his class. He then served as a backseat flyer in various aircrafts, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He signed up for the Air Force and had aspirations of participating in combat during the Korean War. However, by the time he received his flying credentials, the war had ended. He continued his education at the Air Force’s test pilot school, where he graduated as top student and remained as a teacher.

In 1962, NASA chose Stafford to be a part of the second group of astronauts, along with Neil Armstrong, Frank Borman, and Pete Conrad.

Stafford and Wally Schirra were chosen to work on Gemini 6 together. Their main objective was to meet up with a spacecraft that had no crew on board. Unfortunately, their launch in 1965 was cancelled due to the explosion of the spacecraft shortly after takeoff. However, NASA came up with a new plan and in December, Gemini 6 successfully met up with and flew alongside a different spacecraft, Gemini 7, which had two astronauts on board.

In 1966, Stafford and Cernan embarked on their next space journey together on Gemini 9. However, Cernan’s spacewalk using a jet-pack device did not go as planned. He experienced discomfort and back pain due to the sun and the machine, and his visor fogged up, hindering his vision.

“Gene, it’s time to stop. Leave that area,” said Stafford, the leader, to Cernan. Stafford guided him back, instructing him to “move your hand to the side, begin to float upward … raise your hand … simply walk by using your hands.”

~In total, Stafford accumulated 507 hours during his time in space and piloted four distinct spacecraft as well as 127 various types of airplanes and helicopters.~

Following the Apollo-Soyuz mission, Stafford resumed his position in the Air Force, conducting research and leading the Air Force Flight Test Center. He retired in 1979 as a three-star general.

Stafford’s responsibilities in the Air Force not only included managing the leading flight school and experimental aircraft testing facility, but also serving as the commanding general of Area 51. In his biography from the museum, it was mentioned that while in charge of Area 51 and later as the development and acquisition leader at the Pentagon, he played a crucial role in the creation of the F-117 Stealth Fighter and the B-2 Stealth Bomber by writing specifications and establishing the program.

Stafford transitioned into an executive role at a transportation company based in Oklahoma before relocating to Florida, close to Cape Canaveral.

According to the museum, his spouse Linda, two sons, two daughters, and two stepchildren are left after him.

Source: wral.com