Former astronaut visits 711 Human Performance Wing Published Oct. 13, 2011 By Patrick Ruth 711 Human Performance Wing WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio -- During a visit to the 711th Human Performance Wing, former astronaut Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Thomas P. Stafford took time to inspect the helmet assembly for Apollo missions that was recently found in Bldg. 248. General Stafford, who flew into space four times, confirmed that the clear bubble helmet was used for most phases of the mission, while the visor would be donned over the bubble for lunar excursion while on the moon's surface. "In the early days of the space program that led to the spectacular lunar missions, NASA had dynamic management and a "can-do" attitude. We did the impossible," General Stafford told Thomas Wells, Director of the 711th Human Performance Wing. Selected by NASA in September 1962 to the second group of astronauts, General Stafford participated in Projects Gemini and Apollo. He piloted Gemini VI and commanded Gemini IX, Apollo 10, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Mission. His Apollo 10 mission was a pathfinder that laid the foundation for the successful lunar landings. John Hall and Randy Yates of the 711th Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Directorate, researched the serial numbers on the helmet assembly to verify what they had found. "This is a tribute to our organizations historical support of manned spaceflight. I presume the gear was sent here by NASA for testing," said Mr. Hall. The helmet assembly was turned over to the curator of the USAF Museum on October 12.