The Apollo 10 Command Module, call sign Charlie Brown, took astronauts Tom Stafford, John Young and Gene Cernan around the Moon and returned them to Earth in May 1969.
This mission of the Apollo programme was the dress rehearsal for the first manned lunar landing carried out by Apollo 11 two months later. Charlie Brown travelled approximately 800 000 km (500 000 miles) during the 8-day mission and exceeded 39 887 km/h (24 790 mph) on its return to Earth, faster than any other crewed vehicle before or since. The outer surface of
