What was the primary purpose of Apollo 9?
Apollo 9 served as the E-mission testing in medium Earth orbit to validate the Lunar Module and docking procedures. The mission tested the crewed lunar module for the first time with astronauts aboard.
Questions about Apollo 9
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did Apollo 9 launch and splash down?
The rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center at 11:00:00 EST on the 3rd of March 1969. The mission lasted 10 days, 1 hour, 54 seconds before splashing down east of the Bahamas about 125 miles from the recovery carrier USS Guadalcanal.
Who were the three astronauts assigned to the Apollo 9 prime crew?
James McDivitt commanded the mission while David Scott served as Command Module Pilot and Rusty Schweickart flew as Lunar Module Pilot. All three men had been announced by NASA in November 1967 as prime crew for this critical D-mission.
Why was the Apollo 9 launch delayed from February 1969?
All three astronauts contracted colds which forced a postponement of the originally scheduled launch date of the 28th of February 1969. The delay cost $500,000 and required around-the-clock labor shifts to keep the spacecraft in readiness.
What major spacewalk event occurred during Apollo 9?
Rusty Schweickart performed an extravehicular activity on the 6th of March 1969, exiting the hatch on the Lunar Module to test the PLSS life support backpack. He moved along the exterior of the spacecraft using handholds and retrieved experiments from the vehicle's outside.