LT. GENERAL THOMAS P. STAFFORD - AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT SIGNED - HFSID 309697

THOMAS P. STAFFORD
The Apollo 10 commander has a hard time deciding which of his space missions was most memorable, but "Apollo X to the moon was the most impressive".
Autograph manuscript signed: "You always remember so vividly/ your first mission which was/ Gemini 6. It was a ball- loved/ working with Wally./ It is hard to say which one/ was the favorite. Apollo X to the/ moon was the most impressive./ Gemini IX and Apollo-Soyuz/ both memorable./ Best Wishes/ Tom Stafford", in black ink, 1 page, 8½x11. Thomas P. Stafford (1930-2024) Stafford, born in Weatherford, Oklahoma in 1930, was aboard Gemini 6 with Wally Schirra in the first rendezvous in space and Gemini 9, which accomplished three different types of rendezvous, with Gene Cernan. Stafford, Cernan, and John Young were aboard Apollo 10, which orbited the Moon. They maneuvered the ship within nine miles of the lunar surface. Ten years after his first Gemini flight, Stafford flew with Vance Brand and Deke Slayton on the Apollo vehicle that docked with the Soviet Soyuz. Stafford logged 507 hours and 43 minutes in space flight and, flew over 110 different types of aircraft. He was cited in the Guiness Book of World Records for the highest speed ever attained by man. This occurred during Apollo 10's reentry when the spacecraft attained 28,547 statute miles per hour. Stafford was promoted to Three-Star Lieutenant General on March 15, 1978. Light toning. Fine condition.