The Search for Apollo 10’s Lunar Module 

Do you think we will one day recover Snoopy and other lost spacecraft? - Shoutout to PayPal Honey for supporting this video. Get it for free here: joinhoney.com/primalspace

I can't imagine that it would look too different from its appearance in 1969. Then again, constant exposure to solar radiation could have taken a toll on the module. It's amazing that parts of the Apollo missions 50+ years ago are still out there. Space really is an eternal museum.

Looks like Snoopy had a great journey

I want to bring snoopy back and put it in a museum, that's a cool story!

Primal Space never ceases to amaze me! Captivating content everytime!!

I love the idea of one day being able to retrieve these bits of space flotsam and put them in a museum one day

In case anybody is feeling sad about snoopy being all alone out there in the endless expanse of space, worry not! The current plan for one of the Artemis missions involves yeeting an HLS out into interplanetary space just like snoopy, so after fifty-something years it’ll finally have a buddy out there!

The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Mitchell Field, Long Island, New York has the LEM intended for Apollo 18. The spacecraft was donated by Grumman. It is a magnificent display.

What an amazing story, I had no idea that Snoopy had escaped us. Because of the hole in the hatch I assume all of the oxygen within had vented into space, no oxygen = no oxidization, so the interior should be pristine. The exterior should be pretty good too, perhaps a few micro-meteors left their holes here and there, but as nothing had drastically altered the orbit it won't be that bad in my opinion. If it were my choice, I would leave her where she is. Fate chose her path and she is in the best museum that money can't buy. Who knows, she may well "out live" mankind. Those who find her will wonder at who we were and our achievements long after all other traces of us have turned to dust.

I wonder if any microorganisms survived inside for this long. It would be an incredible example of adaptations to deep space with extreme temperature and radiation exposure if they did.

I have often thought about how Voyager 1 and 2 would look like if it was possible to inspect them up close as they travel through space. It would be interesting to observe the LM AS of Apollo 10 and I would expect to see many signs of it being exposed in space for so long.

So the thumbnail was a clickbait cause it said that it was found but in reality, it wasnt, cause you said it's still 'speculation' 😒

Snoopy is probaby in relatively good shape just faded a bunch. It would be really cool for it to be put in a museum if we ever retrieve it. Might also be able to study the effects of longterm exposure in space.

If you find the Red Baron, then you'll find Snoopy.

Bringing Snoopy back, we can actually see how the extremely low temperatures of the space and solar radiations have modified the lattice structure of Aluminium.

I was a kid in the 60s and remember this, and the Charlie Brown TV specials, well. The craft is interesting anyway, but that the craft is named "Snoopy" had me welling up tears for some odd reason. It's kind of touching knowing Snooping is still flying out there somewhere.

I believe that the internal portion of Snoopy will be relatively similar to how it appeared to the astronauts. The external portions of it will definitely have had some degree of wear. How much is based on various factors such as its orbit, whether there was any spin, whether it was in the path of any solar events such as a CME, etc. It is difficult to say how much damage the spacecraft will have suffered but it is likely not in pristine condition.

Honestly, I imagine it would be in a similar condition to how it was in 1969, albeit with a little less atmosphere. Im glad at least one part of the Apollo missions is out there to serve as an eternal history museum (aside from all the S-IVB stages out there).

I believe Snoopy will be more or less the same from when we lost it in '69, but it's hard to say how staying in a vacuum for 50+ years could affect it

Flatearthers can't watch videos like this without having a nervous breakdown.

Depending what definition of spacecraft you use, Snoopy may not be the only one still flying through space that once had humans in it. Snoopy is cruising the cosmos with a little red Tesla that once carried humans.

it would be wonderful in the future to have the possibility to bring this spaceship back to earth and perhaps to carry out missions of this type also to carry out maintenance on other space probes. Beautiful!

Im seeing a lot of AI and Bot based science channels now a days. I like how this channel is not one of them. This channel really makes me feel insignificant on the grand scale of the universe!

Your explanations are so good. The animations are so brilliantly synced with the narration. Thank you.

the segue into the sponsor is just gold

Great video, i just found out you yesterday, and i have already watched all your videos uploaded in the last 3 years. Your videos are really great, amazing explanations, for ease of understanding. Fantastic work.

😮🤯🤯… 4 years from now we can finally get some answers. Can’t wait!

Maybe future generations will be able to bring Snoopy home. That would be really cool!

imagine there's a scenario where your ship is destroyed, you're lost in space, and you see a dot in the middle of the darkness, you grab a fire extinguisher to reach it, and there. Power it on, presurize it, and call on an old UHF radio «i'm safe» «are you back on the dragon VI capsule?» «nah, i'm on the LEM.»

I'd say 50 years of deep space have really preserved it.

What is crazy is that NASA was doing these launches and test runs in a matter of months. The Apollo 9, 10, 11, and 12 all happened in the same calendar year with 11 and 12 landing on the Moon! Right after 9 the next team was prepping 10 to fly weeks after. Even the Space Shuttle program struggled to achieve or maintain that kind of schedule.

this channel is so interesting, I have been in love with all things space related since I was 1st able to talk and I even saw the challenger explode during that time. Love the idea that we finally found Snoopy after all this time.

The geometry of those altered orbits are insane 😂

This is really interesting, i just found you guys out on a recommended page and ill have to say that this content is really interesting with understandable information!

That would be a trip to get that thing back along with the frozen💩

Snoopy might still just be in the same condition as Surveyor 2's 3rd stage! But who knows, it's 2023, we have to wait until 2028.

I think (and hope) that Snoopy is in good condition so that we can recover it 😅

I think it's going to be generally intact, except a few of the more delicate internal components surely affected by interplanetary dust and particles hitting the craft for decades. Only one way to know for sure though, recovering it. It belongs in a museum!

The math behind figuring this out made me feel insignificantly stupid.

My mom's friend back in the 60's worked at NASA on the Apollo XIII. She gave me a patch which I still have. I'll never forget her as she was the one that got me interested in science.

Great video, the only thing I would add is that we don’t actually know where Apollo 11 eagle is, which is pretty amazing considering it’s historical significance. We have found all the crash sites of all the other Luna missions minus snoopy Command modules but not Apollo 11. It has been suggested that it might actually still be in Luna orbit. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

Snoopy had a long and great journey 1969 - forever

I had the honour of meeting Eugene Cernan many years ago. He spent about 1/2 hour chatting with me. At one point, I asked him about the rumour that he and his copilot had thought about “mutiny” by actually landing. He said they talked about it jokingly, but the look on his face told me it may have been a little more serious of a discussion. 🙂

I suspect that the overall shape will be roughly the same as when Snoopy was made. Likely to have faded in appearance, maybe to a more grayish tone, due to the constant solar radiation. There may also be quite a few impact craters, ranging from microscopic to larger dents, due to impacts with space objects (meteors, dust, space junk). It would be very interesting to see Snoopy's current state. And, yes, being able to bring it back, perhaps to sit next to an Apollo space craft in a museum, would be fascinating.

I think Snoopy will be almost perfectly preserved as it was in 1969 and is an amazing time capsule from that era!

I hope snoopy is in pristine condition and that we can retrieve it so that we can prove that we can retrieve amazing items like this.

I like the fact is still around in space and not destroyed on surface, The people of Northrop Grumman did an incredible job and it was one of the most reliable parts of the mission.

I just discovered this channel, and I LOVE it… even though I know nothing about space exploration and its technology. Amazing videos

If it's ever visited, it will be interesting to see how many, if any, impacts it's had with micrometeoroids/meteoroids/debris, that would have been potentially catastrophic. Divide that by how long it's been in interplanetary space, and it could give us a lot of useful information about the risk posed to future manned interplanetary missions, as well as the the kind of shielding needed to minimise those odds.

Thanks for the upload! Love all your videos

Almost 55 years now. I was 11 years old when Apollo 10 made this flight, and this is the first time I've known that "Snoopy" was lost in space. Nice to know he comes around now and then to check up on us.

Gives a whole new meaning to the song "Snoopy Come Home". ;)

This is so fascinating and really amazing to think about its journey all this time, who knows what it saw and where it flew past by. Would of been awesome if there was any way to recover data from it, but I imagine it is still in the same condition as it was 50 years ago, maybe some scuffs and faded painting but other then that has to still work

no way, i was just reading about this on wikipedia and now theres a video on it!

Amazing after all these years, Snoopy is still hanging around.

Its amazing that people spend days living in those tiny little space capsules

Snoopy probably has a beautiful view, up among the stars, looking down at us, hoping one day we might come retrieve him home at last ❤

Thanks for the post. If Snoopy were in a relatively stable attitude (or only slowly tumbling) its external structure would be relatively intact. But if any remaining RCS fuel managed to leech through the plumbing to the thrusters over time, it might be in a high spin such that various antennae would've detached. Unpainted surfaces on the exterior would probably have successfully reflected sunlight, but the black pyromark-coated panels would likely have blistered and flaked away. Here's hoping we'll be able to get some decent pics in 2028. There's also some speculation that the Eagle Ascent Stage is still in lunar orbit.

First off. I’d bet Snoopy will be in much better shape then we could imagine! And I really hope we can get Snoopy back! I would go see it!!❤

Thank you for the intriguing video and the possibilities of Snoopy's position and condition. Three notes: 1:10 shows all the flown Apollo Lunar Modules, but Apollo 5 (January 1968) was launched without landing legs (weren't ready yet and not needed for Earth orbit test. 2:26-Narration states "NASA decided to fire its (Snoopy's) engines..." Only the ascent engine was left to fire. As long as you do not count the Reaction Control System thrusters; there was only one engine left on the ascent stage. 4:40- Narration states that burn added 1 kilometers per second velocity (plural). Should be kilometer (singular). Greatly enjoyed the video and very much looking forward to another close approach to Earth in 2028. Perhaps a recovery mission can be undertaken?

That's impressive detective work. Thanks 👍

Hang on Snoopy, Snoopy hang on! We'll get you back one of these days.

On one hand, Snoopy has been in an absolute vacuum where oxidation doesn't exist. On the other hand, it has been exposed to sometimes extreme ultraviolet radiation, which is known to deteriorate manmade objects. I was young, but I still remember the Apollo Program as it unfolded and part of me says leave it alone and let it continue its journey, while another part of me says it would be a once in a lifetime experience to see it on display someday. Either way, this is a pretty cool find.

A smiley face on Snoopy made from micrometeorite impacts would be priceless!

The LM was never meant to be durable. Collisions with micrometeoroids probably have certain areas looking like more like lace than metal sheets. The unfiltered sunlight would likely obliterate unprotected plastics. The Mylar blankets had thin coatings of gold and nickel which (if intact) would preserve them. Interior items are going to span the range of possibilities.

Snoopy would be very precious for us humans as it is one of the first signs of human exploration in space. I hope Snoopy will be in great condition!

One of my earliest memories is the NASA mission featuring "Charlie Brown" and "Snoopy". I can't recall if I actually remember it when it happened, or if I merely remember my dad telling me about it perhaps some time later. I was 2 years old when that mission took place, and just shy of 3 when Apollo 11 landed (which I also recall) but my whole life I've known that at one time there were NASA vehicles called "Charlie Brown" and "Snoopy". And despite being as young as I was, I knew who Charlie Brown and Snoopy were as characters.

2:53 Those stars are twinkling! 😍 Must be a lot of atmospheric turbulence out there!

It takes real balls of steel to go to space knowing that the ship could malfunction any moment and you could be floating in Space for eternity

I think Snoopy will be in almost pristine condition

it might be one that has had impacts from micro items but the best way to find out is to have a small probe like a cube sat get a closer look with a camera. And maybe even attach to it with a beacon device

Thanks for the video. I'd never heard this story, and I'm fascinated by it. Snoopy's condition will depend on several things. First, I don't expect any polymers or elastomers that were on the surface to still be attached. UV light from the sun likely will have destroyed anything made of carbon chains. I don't know how much UV light will get through the hole blown into the hatch during separation. I don't know whether any small meteors will have hit Snoopy and put additional holes in the shell. If UV light has been getting inside and reflecting around the inside for fifty years, I'd expect everything made of polymer or elastomer to be completely destroyed as well. If there were hydraulics inside the module, the fluids would have seeped through non-metallic hoses long ago and escaped into space. If everything was sealed completely with metal pipes and holes, then maybe some of the hydraulic fluid is still inside. Wires that were insulated with polymer or elastomer will have lost the insulation if the UV radiation reached them. In terms of the metallic components, I don't see a reason why they would be terribly damaged. The vapor pressure above a piece of metal is tiny, and in the cold of space that vapor pressure is even smaller. However, an atom will occasionally fly off the surface. In the vacuum of space, that atom won't return. I doubt that the rate of loss would be enough that we would be able to notice or measure, but maybe there will be some metal loss. If tiny particles are flying through space, those particles could have scoured the surface of the module. Aluminum is not very hard, and small rocks moving along the surface would cut grooves in the surface. If those rocks/particles are microscopic, the grooves will be microscopic. If they are bigger, the grooves will be bigger. I'd expect to see some surface scouring of the aluminum shell. The metal inside the module should be pretty much intact. Aluminum has good thermal conductivity. I could imagine the module staying a fairly constant temperature on all pieces of metal. On the other hand, I'm not familiar with how much the sun can heat one side of an aluminum object when that side is turned towards the sun. If the module has stayed in one position relative to the sun so that one side has been hot and the other cold for fifty years, I wouldn't expect much damage. If the module has been tumbling for fifty years and there is a significant temperature gradient from the hot side to the cold side, we may find that the thermally-induced stresses have caused fatigue cracking of the aluminum. These cracks could grow to the point that the module would break apart at some point.

I think Snoopy would in pretty much same condition right now when it left the lunar module , except it would frozen, also there are many radiations in space, so it may have become pretty radioactive.

I think it would be super cool to have a future space mission where we bring home whole spacecraft from the 60s and whatnot. I know we found a fuel tank orbiting the sun from one of the apollo missions somewhat recently. It would be so cool to just bring those artifacts home.

I feel like if we were to lay eyes/cameras on it, we'd see that any surface that had any sort of coating or paint would be bubbled/shredded. I believe the shape would be relatively the same, but the outer hull would be a miserable sight. I bet the inside would be really well preserved for the most part, though. It depends on if anything were to penetrate the hull or not during it's long journey.

It was on the shelf the whole time right next to the 2001 and 2010 Space Odyssey models.

I believe that some of the interior will have been changed by exposure to hard vacuum but be mostly intact. Additionally, I think there is a good chance that the exterior will be a little dirty but otherwise totally intact.

I would think that snoopy is in pretty good condition seeing how it’s in the vacuum of space so you’re not gonna have like forces here on earth degrading it, but it also could have a lot of punctures in it from small meteorites that are traveling through the galaxy

Built on Long Island at Grumman.. I knew a lot of these guys who would also fly model airplanes at mtichel field

Given the materials the LEM is made out of, I'd say the surface will mostly be intact aside from the micrometeoroid impacts, and I'd wager components like the RCS clusters will still be hanging in there. Long live Snoopy, we hope to see you in person some day!

Did anyone win that poster he promised?

Amazing story. Always fun to learn about the things we've left behind on space

You learn something new every day! Man, I love science!

Snoopy come home

Noooooo snoopy come back

Fascinating. Thank you for uploading.

Snoopy actually isn't the only object flying through space once occupied by humans. Elon musk's roadster is also one.

What a cool trip! I'd reckon to say that the LM's interior would probably be fine, unless it had a major collision to rupture it, or a similar failure on onboard systems. However, the frailer outer sections may very well be tattered from micrometeor collisions. It'd certainly be a great case study if Snoopy could be recovered to gauge the effects of such long-term deep space travel!

The Apollo’s Lunar Modules were made out of almost only aluminium. Aluminium can corrode, but that makes it only stronger. So I think Snoopy hasn’t changed a lot. It is like a time capsule floating through space.

That rare collectable is going to look really impressive in some billionaire's office.

There are some facts I remember clearly about the LEMs, which adequately describe their character. Each LEM weighed 14 tons, and cost as much to build as if they were made from 14-tons of pure gold - at the 1969 gold price. The LEM was so lightweight, that you could literally punch a hole in it with your fist, if you smashed it hard enough. My first computer, in 1979, just 10 years after Apollo 11, had almost the exact same specification as the LEM computer. Overclocked 2 MHz 6502 CPU, 8KB of ROM and 32KB of RAM. :)

Can you imagine how amazing it would be to visit the Smithsonian and be able to see Snoopy someday?? To know it was out there for decades and we retrieved it and brought it home!

Scott Manley made a video about the Apollo 11 LM and how it might be still in lunar orbit instead of crashing. I hoped you guys would cover it. Also, I´m not sure if the astronauts were actually able to see the burn in 2:38 since the exhaust plume of the ascent engine was almost clear, like seen during the Apollo 17 launch from the lunar surface. It definitely didnt look bright orange, like depicted here.

at 2:30 'snoopy continued burning' is that part actual footage, or graphics for the explanation? and also just after, is the window view of it far away real or reenacted. thanks

Hahaha the lunar module is here on earth probably in the studio where the “moon landing” was shot.

If it wasn't for CGI, we would never believe Man landed on the moon

i think it would be radioactive but it would be pretty interesting if we could recover it and maybe test it out or something . love the vids these got me into space thanks

Great video! Fascinating to be able to potentially find good ol' Snoopy after all this time!

I think Snoopy will be in surprisingly good shape. Maybe some minor micro asteroid/meteor fragments/damage, but that's it. It would be a pleasure to go into a museum sometime in the next 30+ years and physically see Snoopy!

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