Thomas P. Stafford
American astronaut (1930-2024) · United States · Died at 93
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A typical day, 30 days to 7 October 2026
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Something wrong?He flew closer to the Moon than anyone except those who landed on it - nine miles above the surface in Apollo 10's lunar module, the final dress rehearsal before Armstrong's descent. Then he commanded the first American spacecraft to dock with a Soviet one, a handshake in orbit at the Cold War's height.
A life in dates
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About this person
Thomas Patten Stafford came out of the Naval Academy in 1952 and flew F-86 Sabres before test piloting brought him to NASA's second astronaut class in 1962. He flew Gemini 6A in 1965 and Gemini 9A in 1966, mastering the rendezvous techniques the Moon missions would require. In 1969 he commanded Apollo 10, taking the lunar module within nine miles of the surface with Gene Cernan - everything short of landing, proving the system worked. Six years later, as a brigadier general, he became the first general officer in space when he commanded the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975, docking with a Soviet craft above the Earth. He pinned on three stars faster than anyone in his Academy class and logged 507 hours in orbit across six rendezvous missions. After Eugene Cernan and John Young died, he was the last crew member left from both his Gemini flights and Apollo 10.
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