Navy Helicopter - Arrival - Recovery - Apollo X Astronauts - South Pacific Ocean

S69-21036 (26 May 1969) --- A Navy helicopter arrives to recover the Apollo 10 astronauts, seen entering a life raft, as their spacecraft floats in the South Pacific immediately after touchdown. U.S. Navy underwater demolition team swimmers assist in the recovery operations. Already in the life raft are astronauts Thomas P. Stafford (left), commander, and John W. Young (right), command module pilot. Splashdown occurred at 11:53 a.m., May 26, 1969, about 400 miles east of American Samoa and about four miles from the recovery ship to conclude a successful eight-day lunar orbit mission. Note that in this photo the divers have attached a flotation collar to the spacecraft.