Hunting Snoopy

The Faulkes Telescope Project, based at the University of Glamorgan in Wales, uses robotically-controlled telescopes to engage students and amateur astronomers in serious astronomical research. The latest challenge put forth by the Project is surely among the most demanding-- find the Apollo 10 lunar ascent module. Find Snoopy.

The Apollo 10 crew named the module "Snoopy," and named the command module "Charlie Brown." Apollo 10 served as the final check before the first manned lunar landing was attempted-- successfully, as it turned out-- on Apollo 11. NASA typically crashed the ascent modules into the Moon after their jobs were done, but for whatever reason, it didn't do that with Snoopy. That means Snoopy should still be somewhere in lunar orbit. NASA hasn't kept track of the craft over the past 42 years.

The Project acknowledges the chances of finding Snoopy aren't good, but points out the attempt will no doubt find faint asteroids and perhaps comets, so good science will come out of the effort even if Snoopy remains elusive.