Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
McDivitt Scott Schweickart / Stafford Young Cernan
Launched: March 3, 1969 Splashdown: March 13,1969
Launched: May 18, 1969 Splashdown: May 26, 1969
Apollo spacecraft program manager, George Low, explained why landing on the Moon would have to wait a little longer.
Apollo missions 9 and 10 served as vital dress rehearsals. Their successful flights answered many questions that had to be addressed before a moon landing could be attempted. Apollo 9 was the first mission to launch with all its lunar hardware aboard, including the lunar module and space suits with portable life support systems. The crew remained in Earth's orbit, maneuvering and docking the command module and lunar module, to demonstrate that this crucial operation was feasible in space. Apollo 10 flew tantalizingly close to the Moon. Its astronauts maneuvered the lunar modular to within 10 miles of the lunar surface. They surveyed the proposed Apollo 11 landing site, the Sea of Tranquility, performing every task except actually touching down. And they sent back TV broadcasts in color, a first from space. The stage was now set for Apollo 11.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Exploration.
Location. 34° 42.672′ N, 86° 39.341′ W. Marker is in Huntsville, Alabama, in Madison County. Marker can be reached from Tranquility Base, half a mile west of Old Madison Pike NW, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville AL 35805, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Schirra Eisele Cunningham / Borman Lovell Anders (here, next to this marker); Grissom White Chaffee (here, next to this marker); Armstrong Collins Aldrin (here, next to this marker); Conrad Gordon Bean (a few steps from this marker); Lovell Swigert Haise (a few steps from this marker); Shepard Roosa Mitchell (a few steps from this marker); Scott Worden Irwin (a few steps from this marker); Young Mattingly Duke (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntsville.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2013, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 615 times since then and 5 times this year. Last updated on July 15, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. Photos: 1. submitted on October 24, 2013, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 2, 3. submitted on October 27, 2013, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 4. submitted on October 24, 2013, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 5. submitted on October 25, 2013, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.