About 30 hours after launch, Apollo 7 rendezvoused with its spent Saturn IB second stage, coming within 70 feet of the tumbling rocket.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by NASA's official mission summary and independent fact sheets; minor variance in exact distance across secondary sources but core details align. [tier=silver indep_score=0.925 clusters=2 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- The Flight (and Fights) of Apollo 7 - Smithsonian Magazine (seed:science_and_space)
- https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/Apollo_07a_Summary.htm (corroboration)
- https://www.spaceline.org/united-states-manned-space-flight/apollo-mission-program-facts-sheet-index/apollo-7-fact-sheet/ (corroboration)
- https://www.nasa.gov/history/50-years-ago-apollo-7-flight-day-2-rendezvous-day/ (corroboration)