John Young Flew Apollo 10 CM Charlie Brown and Was Apollo 16 Moonwalker

Summary: American astronaut John Young flew Apollo 10 CM Charlie Brown and was an Apollo 16 moonwalker during his 42-year career at NASA.

NASA astronaut John Watts Young with models of Apollo 10 Command Module Charlie Brown atop namesake Peanuts cartoon character Charlie Brown; NASA ID AP10-KSC-369-167: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Public Domain, via NASA History-Apollo Flight Journal

American astronaut John Young flew Apollo 10 CM Charlie Brown and was an Apollo 16 moonwalker during his storied career of 42 years at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

John Watts Young (born Wednesday, Sept. 24, 1930) publicly began his space career at NASA with the official announcement of his selection for Astronaut Group 2 on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 1962. The roster of the New Nine, also known as Next Nine, was unveiled at the University of Houston’s Cullen Performance Hall. Naval aviator and test pilot John Young shared the stage with four other Navy pilots: Neil Alden Armstrong (born Aug. 5, 1930), Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr. (June 2, 1930-July 8, 1999), James “Jim” Arthur Lovell Jr. (born March 25, 1928) and Elliot McKay See Jr. (July 23, 1927-Feb. 28, 1966). The United States Air Force contributed four test pilots to the New Nine: Frank Frederick Borman II (born March 14, 1928), James Alton McDivitt (born June 10, 1929), Thomas “Tom” Patten Stafford (born Sept. 17, 1930) and Edward “Ed” Higgins White II (Nov. 14, 1930-Jan. 27, 1967).

Over his 42-year NASA career, John Young achieved unique status as the only astronaut to fly in the space agency’s Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. He also garnered a first as flier in six space missions.

He experienced his first spaceflight as pilot of Gemini 3, with Virgil “Gus” Ivan Grisson (April 3, 1926-Jan. 27, 1967) as command pilot. The Gemini program’s first crewed mission logged three low Earth orbits in Gemini spacecraft Molly Brown on Tuesday, March 23, 1965.

Young’s second spaceflight occurred as command pilot of Gemini 10, with Michael Collins (born Oct. 31, 1930) as pilot. The eighth crewed Gemini flight mission launched Monday, July 18, 1966, and landed Thursday, July 21. The mission’s objectives included the Gemini program’s first double rendezvous, conducted with uncrewed spacecrafts Gemini 10’s Gemini-Agena Target Vehicle (GATV)-5005 and aborted Gemini 9 mission’s GATV-5003.

Young performed his third spaceflight as Command Module Charlie Brown Pilot for Apollo 10. The Apollo space program’s fourth crewed and second lunar orbiting mission launched Sunday, May 18, 1969, and splashed down Monday, May 26. Fellow Next Nine selectee Thomas Stafford commanded the mission, successfully designed as a “dress rehearsal,” absent the lunar landing, for lunar landing mission Apollo 11. Naval aviator and Astronaut Group 3 selectee Eugene "Gene" Andrew Cernan (born March 14, 1934) piloted Lunar Module Snoopy.

Young typified the NASA astronauts’ appreciation of and awareness of the extraordinary vistas visible through spacecraft windows. Approximately 104 hours 44 minutes (104:44 Ground Elapsed Time GET) after Apollo 10’s liftoff, John Young contacted Mission Control Center (MCC) in Houston, Texas, with a request: “Houston, Charlie Brown. I’d like to get a sunset time. Over.” But, with the MCC Capsule Communicator‘s (Cap Comm; CC) “Stand by” response, Young observed: “Oh, never mind. It happens so fast around here, I ought to be instantaneously aware of it” (Apollo 10 Onboard Voice Transcription-Command Module, June 1969: page 378).

Young’s fourth spaceflight occurred as commander of Command-Service Module (CSM) 113 for Apollo 16. The Apollo space program’s 10th crewed mission launched Sunday, April 16, 1972, and splashed down Thursday, April 27. Young and Lunar Module Orion Pilot Charles Moss Duke Jr. (born Oct. 3, 1935) became the ninth and 10th moonwalkers, respectively, while Command Module Casper Pilot Thomas Kenneth “Ken” Mattingly II (born March 17, 1936) orbited in Casper.

Young logged his fifth and sixth spaceflights through the Space Shuttle program, NASA’s fourth human spaceflight program. He commanded the program’s first orbital spaceflight, STS-1 (Space Transportation System-1) for his fifth spaceflight. Robert Laurel Crippen (born Sept. 11, 1937) was the mission pilot on Space Shuttle Columbia. STS-1 launched Sunday, April 12, 1981, and touched down Tuesday, April 14.

Young returned to Space Shuttle Columbia to claim his sixth and final spaceflight. STS-9, the ninth Space Shuttle mission, launched Monday, Nov. 28, 1983, and landed Thursday, Dec. 8. The mission garnered first spaceflights for four of Young’s crew: Brewster Hopkinson Shaw Jr. (born May 16, 1945), pilot; Robert Allan Ridley Parker (born Dec. 14, 1936), mission specialist 2; Ulf Dietrich Merbold (born June 20, 1941), payload specialist 1; and Byron Kurt Lichtenberg (born Feb. 19, 1948), payload specialist 2. Skylab 3 mission veteran Owen Kay Garriott (born Nov. 22, 1930), mission specialist 1, logged his second and last spaceflight.

The takeaway for NASA astronaut John Young’s flying Apollo 10 CM Charlie Brown and moonwalking for Apollo 16 is that the U.S. Navy’s aviator and test pilot’s storied NASA career includes first flier in six space missions and unique pilot and command of four different classes of spacecraft.

John Watts Young, Apollo 10 lunar orbit mission’s Prime Crew Command Module Charlie Brown Pilot; April 1969; NASA ID S69-32616: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Public Domain, via NASA Human Spaceflight

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

NASA astronaut John Watts Young with models of Apollo 10 Command Module Charlie Brown atop namesake Peanuts cartoon character Charlie Brown; NASA ID AP10-KSC-369-167: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Public Domain, via NASA History-Apollo Flight Journal @ https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap10fj/as10-image-library.html

John Watts Young, Apollo 10 lunar orbit mission’s Prime Crew Command Module Charlie Brown Pilot; April 1969; NASA ID S69-32616: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Public Domain, via NASA Human Spaceflight @ https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/apollo/apollo10/html/s69-32616.html

For further information:

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