Editing Apollo 9

'''Apollo 9''' was the third manned mission in the [[Apollo program]], a ten day [[Earth orbit|Earth-orbital]] mission launched [[3 March]] [[1969]]. It was the second manned flight of the [[Saturn V]] launch vehicle and the first manned flight of the [[Apollo Lunar Module]] (LM).

==Crew==

*[[James McDivitt]] (2), commander
*[[David Scott]] (2), command module pilot
*[[Russell Schweickart]] (1), lunar module pilot
<small>*Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual, prior to and including this mission.</small>

===Backup crew===
*[[Pete Conrad]] (flew on ''[[Gemini 5]]'', ''[[Gemini 11]]'', ''[[Apollo 12]]'', ''[[Skylab 2]]''), commander
*[[Richard F. Gordon, Jr.|Dick Gordon]] (flew on ''[[Gemini 11]]'', ''[[Apollo 12]]''), command module pilot
*[[Alan Bean]] (flew on ''[[Apollo 12]]'', ''[[Skylab 3]]''), lunar module pilot.

*[[Clifton Williams]] was originally the lunar module pilot for the backup crew, but died on [[October 5]], [[1967]], in a [[T-38 Talon|T-38]] crash.  His spot was given to Alan Bean.  Later, when the backup crew flew Apollo 12, a fourth star was added to their mission patch in remembrance of him.

===Support crew===
*[[Fred Haise]] (flew on ''[[Apollo 13]]'')
*[[Jack Lousma]] (flew on ''[[Skylab 3]]'', ''[[STS-3]]'')
*[[Edgar Mitchell|Ed Mitchell]] (flew on ''[[Apollo 14]]'')
*[[Al Worden]] (flew on ''[[Apollo 15]]'')

===Flight directors===
*[[Gene Kranz]], White team
*Gerald Griffin, Gold team
*Pete Frank, Orange team

==Mission parameters==
*'''[[Mass]]:''' CSM 26,801 kg; LM 14,575 kg
*'''[[Perigee]]:''' 189.5&nbsp;km
*'''[[Apogee]]:''' 192.4&nbsp;km
*'''[[Inclination]]:''' 32.57° 
*'''[[Orbital period|Period]]:''' 88.64 min

===LM - CSM docking===
*'''Undocked''': [[March 7]], [[1969]] - 12:39:36 UTC
*'''Re-docked''':[[March 7]], [[1969]] - 19:02:26 UTC

===EVA===
* ''Schweickart'' - EVA - LM forward hatch
**'''Start''': [[March 6]], [[1969]], 16:45:00 UTC
**'''End''': [[March 6]], [[1969]], 17:52:00 UTC
**'''Duration''': 1 hour, 07 minutes

* ''Scott'' - EVA - CM side hatch
**'''Start''': [[March 6]], [[1969]], 17:01:00 UTC
**'''End''': [[March 6]], [[1969]], 18:02:00 UTC
**'''Duration''': 1 hour, 01 minute

==Original mission profile==
In October 1967, it was planned that following the first manned orbital flight of the [[Apollo Command/Service Module|Command/Service Module]] (CSM) ([[Apollo 7]], also known as the C Mission), the second manned Apollo mission (D Mission) would have a manned CSM launched on a Saturn 1B, and a few days later the [[Lunar Module]] launched on a second Saturn 1B to practice the first orbit rendezvous. McDivitt, Scott and Schweickart were given this mission, with [[Frank Borman]], [[Jim Lovell]] and [[William Anders]] being assigned to a later, similar Earth-orbit test (E Mission), this time using the [[Saturn V]] to carry both the CSM and LM. 

However, production problems with the LM meant that the D Mission would not be able to fly until the spring of [[1969]], so NASA officials created another "C-Prime" mission to go in between the C and D missions, involving the CSM (with no LM) making the first manned flight to the Moon. This flight became [[Apollo 8]], and was given to Borman, Lovell and Anders. Although he was in the rotation for it, McDivitt claims he was never offered the "C-Prime" mission as he was already experienced with the LM - but if he had been offered it, he probably would have declined, as he wanted to fly the LM. The original E Mission was subsequently scrubbed - Apollo 9 was the only Earth-orbit test of the full Apollo spacecraft, and was launched on a Saturn V instead of two Saturn 1Bs. This had long lasting consequence - when the crew rotation for Apollos 8 and 9 were swapped, their backup crews were also swapped, putting [[Neil Armstrong]] and his crew (who were Borman, Lovell and Anders' backups) in line for the first manned landing mission instead of [[Pete Conrad]] and his crew.

==Mission highlights==
Apollo 9 was the first space test of the complete Apollo spacecraft, including the third critical piece of Apollo hardware - the [[lunar module]]. For ten days, the astronauts put all three Apollo vehicles through their paces in Earth orbit, undocking and then redocking the lunar lander with the command module, just as they would in lunar orbit. Apollo 9 gave proof that the Apollo machines were up to the task of orbital rendezvous and docking. 

For this and all subsequent Apollo flights, the crews were allowed to name their own spacecraft (the last spacecraft to have been named was [[Gemini 3]]). The gangly lunar module was named "Spider", and the command module was labelled "[[Gumdrop]]" on account of the blue wrapping in which the craft arrived at KSC.

Schweickart and Scott performed an EVA - Schweickart checked out the new Apollo spacesuit, the first to have its own life support system rather than being dependent on an umbilical connection to the spacecraft, while Scott filmed him from the command module hatch. Schweickart was due to carry out a more extensive set of activity to test the suit, and demonstrate that it was possible for astronauts to perform an EVA from the lunar module to the command module in an emergency, but as he had been suffering from [[space sickness]], this was restricted to the stand up test in the Lunar Module hatch. 

McDivitt and Schweickart later testflew the LM, and practiced separation and docking maneuvers in earth orbit. They flew the LM up to 111 miles from "Gumdrop", using the engine on the descent stage to propel them originally, before jettisoning it and using the ascent stage to return.

The splashdown point was 23 deg 15 min N, 67 deg 56 min W, 180 miles (290&nbsp;km) east of Bahamas and within sight of the recovery ship [[USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7)|USS ''Guadalcanal'']]. 

The command module was displayed at the Michigan Space and Science Center, [[Jackson, Michigan]] until April 2004 when the center closed. In May 2004, it was moved to the [[San Diego Aerospace Museum]]. The LM ascent stage orbit decayed on [[23 October]] [[1981]], the LM descent stage (1969-018D) orbit decayed [[22 March]] [[1969]]. The S-IVB stage J-2 engine was restarted after Lunar Module extraction and propelled the stage into solar orbit by burning to depletion.

The crew sang the song "[[Happy Birthday To You]]" on [[March 8]], [[1969]].

== Mission insignia ==

The circular patch shows drawings of a Saturn V rocket with the letters USA on it. To its right, an Apollo CSM is shown next to a LM, with the CSM's nose pointed at the "front door" of the LM rather than at its top docking port. The CSM is trailing rocket fire in a circle. The crew's names are along the top edge of the circle, with APOLLO [[Roman numerals|IX]] at the bottom. The "D" in McDivitt's name is filled with red to mark that this was the "D mission" in the alphabetic sequence of pre-lunar landing missions.

==Apollo 9 maneuver summary==
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" align="Left" width="750"
! T + Time
! Event
! Burn Time
! Delta-Velocity
! Orbit
|-
| T + 00:00:00 || Lift-off ||. ||. ||.
|-
| T + 00:02:14 || S-IC center engine cut-off || 141 s ||. ||.
|-
| T + 00:02:43 || S-IC engine cut-off || 169 s ||. ||.
|-
| T + 00:02:44 || S-II ignition ||. ||. ||.
|-
| T + 00:03:14 || S-II skirt separation ||. ||. ||.
|-
| T + 00:03:19 || LES jettison ||. ||. ||.
|-
| T + 00:08:56 || S-II cut-off ||. ||. ||.
|-
| T + 00:08:57 || S-II cutoff + separation, S-IVB ignition ||. ||. ||.
|-
| T + 00:11:05 || S-IVB cutoff + orbital insertion || 127.4 s ||. ||191.3 x 189.5&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 02:45:00 || CSM/S-IVB separation ||. ||. ||.
|-
| T + 03:02:08 || CSM/LM docking ||. ||. ||.
|-
| T + 04:18:00 || Spacecraft/S-IVB separation ||. ||. ||.
|-
| T + 05:59:00 || First SPS test || 5.1 s || +10.4 m/s || 234.1 x 200.7&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 22:12:03 || Second SPS test || 110 s || +259.2 m/s || 351.5 x 199.5&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 25:17:38 || Third SPS test || 281.6 s || +782.6 m/s || 503.4 x 202.6&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 28:24:40 || Fourth SPS test || 28.2 s || -914.5 m/s || 502.8 x 202.4&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 49:41:33 || First DPS test || 369.7 s || -530.1 m/s || 499.3 x 202.2&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 54:26:11 || Fifth SPS test || 43.3 s || -175.6 m/s || 239.3 x 229.3&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 92:39:30 || CSM/LM undocking ||. ||. ||.
|-
| T + 93:02:53 || CSM separation maneuver || 10.9 s || -1.5 m/s ||.
|-
| T + 93:47:34 || LM DPS phasing maneuver || 18.6 s || +27.6 m/s || 253.5 x 207&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 95:39:07 || LM DPS insertion maneuver || 22.2 s || +13.1 m/s || 257.2 x 248.2&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 96:16:04 || LM concentric sequence initiation maneuver || 30.3 s || -12.2 m/s || 255.2 x 208.9&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 96:58:14 || LM APS constant delta height maneuver || 2.9 s || -12.6 m/s || 215.6 x 207.2&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 97:57:59 || LM terminal phase finalization maneuver || 34.7 s || +6.8 m/s || 232.8 x 208.5&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 98:59:00 || CSM/LM docking ||. ||. ||.
|-
| T + 101:32:44 || Post-jettison CSM separation maneuver || 7.2 s || +0.9 m/s || 235.7 x 224.6&nbsp;km 
|-
| T + 101:53:20 || LM APS burn to depletion || 350 s || +1,643.2 m/s || 6,934.4 x 230.6&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 123:25:06 || Sixth SPS test || 1.29 s || -11.5 m/s || 222.6 x 195.2&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 169:38:59 || Seventh SPS test || 25 s || +199.6 m/s || 463.4 x 181.1&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 240:31:14 || Eighth SPS test || 11.6 s || -99.1 m/s || 442.2 x -7.8&nbsp;km
|-
| T + 241:00:54 || Splashdown ||. ||. ||.
|}

<br style="clear: left"/>

==Depiction in fiction==
Portions of the Apollo 9 mission are dramatized in the miniseries ''[[From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries)|From the Earth to the Moon]]'' episode entitled [[From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries)#Episodes|"Spider"]].

==References==
*[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/sc-query.html NASA NSSDC Master Catalog]
*[http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/Apollo_00a_Cover.htm APOLLO BY THE NUMBERS: A Statistical Reference by Richard W. Orloff (NASA)]
*[http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4012/vol3/table2.37.htm Apollo 9 Characteristics - SP-4012 NASA HISTORICAL DATA BOOK]
*Baker, David. ''The History of Manned Space Flight''. Crown Publishers, Inc. First Edition. ISBN 0-517-54377-X