Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

This hatch was part of the Apollo 10 Command Module "Charlie Brown," which was launched in May, 1969, on a "dress rehearsal" for the first planned manned lunar landing mission. The Apollo hatch had to provide a perfect seal for proper cabin pressurization, thermal protection during re-entry, and water-tight conditions during splashdown and recovery. An example of the "unified hatch" designed following the fatal Apollo 204 fire in January, 1967, the Apollo 10 hatch covered the side opening in both the pressurized cabin and the external heat shield that covered the spacecraft. It could be opened from the inside in a matter of seconds.

Stripped after the flight of all components of the mechanical locking system, the Apollo 10 Command Module hatch was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution by the NASA Johnson Space Center in 1977, three years after the transfer of the Apollo 10 Command Module.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type SPACECRAFT-Crewed-Parts & Structural Components Manufacturer North American Aviation Inc.
 Dimensions Approximate (see remarks): 2 ft. 6 in. × 4 1/2 in. × 3 ft. 4 in., 56.7kg (76.2 × 11.4 × 101.6cm, 125lb.)
 Materials Stainless Steel, Stainless Steel Honeycomb, Phenolic, Rubberized Fabric, Aluminum Honeycomb, Aluminum Skin, Velcro, Paper, Adhesive, Paint
 Inventory Number A19781415000 Credit Line Transferred from the NASA - Johnson Space Center Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.