Whereas, on September 17, 1930, Lieutenant General Thomas Patten Stafford (referred to in this preamble as General Stafford ) was born in Weatherford, Oklahoma, to Thomas and Mary Ellen Stafford; Whereas, in 1952, General Stafford graduated with honors from the United States Naval Academy, after which he joined the newly formed Air Force; Whereas, in 1958, General Stafford entered the United States Air Force Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California; Whereas, in 1959, General Stafford graduated from the United States Air Force Experimental Test Pilot School, receiving the A.B. Honts Award as the outstanding graduate, and thereafter became an instructor and wrote flight performance and aerodynamics textbooks for the school; Whereas, in 1962, General Stafford was chosen among the second group of astronauts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in this preamble as NASA ) to serve in projects Gemini and Apollo; Whereas, in 1965, General Stafford developed techniques for and piloted Gemini VI, completing the first rendezvous in space; Whereas, in 1966, General Stafford commanded Gemini IX, demonstrating 3 different types of rendezvous, including the rendezvous that would be used in future Apollo lunar missions; Whereas, in 1969, General Stafford commanded Apollo 10, piloted the first lunar module to descend within 9 miles of the Moon, designated the first lunar landing site, performed reconnaissance of future Apollo landing sites, and completed each of the essential steps in the final preparation for the upcoming Moon landing, including the first rendezvous around the Moon; Whereas General Stafford and his crew won the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Special Trustees Award (commonly known as an Emmy Award ) for initiating development of and taking the first colored images from space