Apollo 9
Encyclopedia
Apollo 9, the third manned mission in the American
Apollo space program, was the first flight of the Command/Service Module
(CSM) with the Lunar Module
(LM). Its three-person crew, consisting of Commander Jim McDivitt, Command Module Pilot David Scott
, and Lunar Module Pilot Rusty Schweickart
, tested several aspects critical to landing on the Moon, including the LM engines, backpack life support systems, navigation systems, and docking maneuvers. The mission was the second manned launch of a Saturn V
rocket
.
After launching on March 3, 1969, the crewmen spent ten days in low Earth orbit. They performed the first manned flight of a LM, the first docking and extraction of a LM, two spacewalks, and the second docking of two manned spacecraft. The mission proved the LM worthy of manned spaceflight. Further tests on the Apollo 10
mission would prepare the LM for its ultimate goal, landing on the Moon.
was the lunar module pilot for the backup crew. He died on October 5, 1967, in a 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.
, Ed White
, and Roger Chaffee for the planned first manned Earth orbital test flight of the Apollo Command/Service Module
(CSM), designated AS-204
expected to fly in late 1966. This was to be followed by a second similar flight, AS-205, to be crewed by Wally Schirra
, Walter Cunningham
, and Donn Eisele.
However, delays in the CSM development pushed AS-204 into 1967. By December 1966, the original AS-205 mission was cancelled, Schirra's crew was named as Grissom's backup, and McDivitt's crew was promoted to prime crew for a new second mission, to fly the complete Apollo spacecraft, launching the CSM and Lunar Module
(LM) on two separate Saturn IB
vehicles into a low Earth orbit. They immediately began training for this flight, designated AS-205/208, expected to occur in late 1967.
On January 27, 1967, Grissom's crew were conducting a launch-pad test for their planned February 21 mission, which they named Apollo 1
, when a fire broke out in the cabin, killing all three men and putting an 18-month hold on the manned program while the Command Module was redesigned for safety.
As it turned out, a 1967 launch of AS-205/208 would have been impossible even absent the Apollo 1 accident, as problems with the LM delayed its first unmanned test flight until January 1968. NASA was able to use the 18-month hiatus to catch up with development and unmanned testing of the LM and the Saturn V
Moon launch vehicle.
By October 1967, planning for manned flights resumed, with Apollo 7
being the first Earth orbit CSM flight (now known as the C mission) in October 1968 given to Schirra's crew, and McDivitt's mission (now known as the D Mission) following as Apollo 8 in December 1968, using a single Saturn V instead of the two Saturn IBs. This would be followed by a higher Earth orbit flight (E Mission), to be crewed by Frank Borman
, Michael Collins
, and William Anders
in early 1969.
However, continued LM production problems meant that the D Mission would not be able to fly until the spring of 1969, so NASA officials created another mission for Apollo 8
using the Saturn V to launch only the CSM on the first manned flight to orbit the Moon, and the E Mission was cancelled as unnecessary. Since McDivitt's crew had trained for the first LM mission, and he expressed the personal desire to fly it, the Borman and McDivitt crews were swapped, and the D mission became Apollo 9.
The crew swap also affected who would be the first crew to land on the Moon; when the crews for Apollo 8 and 9 were swapped, their backup crews were also swapped. Since the rule of thumb was for backup crews to fly as prime crew three missions later, this put Neil Armstrong's
crew (Borman's backup) in position for the first landing mission Apollo 11
instead of Pete Conrad's
crew, who made the second landing on Apollo 12
.
(CSM) and the Saturn V launch vehicle—the Lunar Module
(LM). It was also the first space docking
of two vehicles with an internal crew transfer between them. For ten days, the astronauts put both Apollo spacecraft through their paces in Earth orbit, including an undocking and redocking of the lunar lander with the command vehicle, just as the landing mission crew would perform in lunar orbit. Apollo 9 gave proof that the Apollo spacecraft were up to this critical task, on which the lives of lunar landing crews would depend.
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 LM was named Spider, and the CSM was labeled Gumdrop because of the Command Module's shape, and also the blue wrapping in which the craft arrived at Kennedy Space Center. These names were required as radio call signs when the vehicles flew independently.
Schweickart and Scott performed a spacewalk (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 activities 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 the extra tests were scratched.
McDivitt and Schweickart later test-flew the LM, and practiced separation and docking maneuvers in Earth orbit. They flew the LM up to 111 miles (178.6 km) from Gumdrop, using the engine on the descent stage to propel them originally, before jettisoning it and using the ascent stage to return. This test flight represented the first flight of a manned spacecraft that was not equipped to reenter the Earth's atmosphere.
The splashdown point was 23 deg 15 min N, 67 deg 56 min W, 180 miles (290 km) east of Bahamas and within sight of the recovery ship 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 October 23, 1981, the LM descent stage (1969-018D) orbit decayed March 22, 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.
The circular patch shows a drawing of a Saturn V rocket with the letters USA on it. To its right, an Apollo CSM is shown next to an 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 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. The patch was designed by Allen Stevens of Rockwell International.
For the first time since the first manned Gemini mission, the astronauts were allowed to name their spacecraft. This came about to avoid confusion when dealing with two separate craft flying at the same time. The crew dubbed the lunar module Spider for its buglike appearance, and the command module Gumdrop because of its shape.
. Its service module was jettisoned shortly after the deorbit burn and decayed during reentry of the command module.
The ascent stage of LM-3 Spider (1969-018C) decayed on October 23, 1981.
The descent stage of LM-3 Spider (1969-018D) decayed March 22, 1969.
The upper stage of the Apollo 9 Saturn V, S-IVB-504N, (1969-018B) is in heliocentric (solar) orbit.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Apollo space program, was the first flight of the Command/Service Module
Apollo Command/Service Module
The Command/Service Module was one of two spacecraft, along with the Lunar Module, used for the United States Apollo program which landed astronauts on the Moon. It was built for NASA by North American Aviation...
(CSM) with the Lunar Module
Apollo Lunar Module
The Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program by Grumman to carry a crew of two from lunar orbit to the surface and back...
(LM). Its three-person crew, consisting of Commander Jim McDivitt, Command Module Pilot David Scott
David Scott
David Randolph Scott is an American engineer, test pilot, retired U.S. Air Force officer, and former NASA astronaut and engineer, who was one of the third group of astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963...
, and Lunar Module Pilot Rusty Schweickart
Rusty Schweickart
Russell Louis "Rusty" Schweickart aka Schweikart is an American former astronaut, research scientist, US Air Force fighter pilot, business and government executive...
, tested several aspects critical to landing on the Moon, including the LM engines, backpack life support systems, navigation systems, and docking maneuvers. The mission was the second manned launch of a Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
.
After launching on March 3, 1969, the crewmen spent ten days in low Earth orbit. They performed the first manned flight of a LM, the first docking and extraction of a LM, two spacewalks, and the second docking of two manned spacecraft. The mission proved the LM worthy of manned spaceflight. Further tests on the Apollo 10
Apollo 10
Apollo 10 was the fourth manned mission in the American Apollo space program. It was an F type mission—its purpose was to be a "dry run" for the Apollo 11 mission, testing all of the procedures and components of a Moon landing without actually landing on the Moon itself. The mission included the...
mission would prepare the LM for its ultimate goal, landing on the Moon.
Crew
Backup crew
Originally Clifton WilliamsClifton Williams
This article is about the American astronaut. For the composer, see Clifton Williams .Clifton Curtis 'C.C.' Williams was a NASA astronaut, a Naval Aviator, and a Major in the United States Marine Corps who was killed in a plane crash; he had never been to space...
was the lunar module pilot for the backup crew. He died on October 5, 1967, in a T-38
T-38 Talon
The Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
crash. His spot was given to Alan Bean. Later, when the backup crew flew Apollo 12
Apollo 12
Apollo 12 was the sixth manned flight in the American Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon . It was launched on November 14, 1969 from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, four months after Apollo 11. Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L...
, a fourth star was added to their mission patch in remembrance of him.
Support crew
- Fred W. Haise, JrFred HaiseFred Wallace Haise, Jr. is an engineer and former NASA astronaut. He is one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon. Having flown on Apollo 13, Haise was to be the sixth human to walk on the Moon, but the mission did not land due to a failure aboard the spacecraft.-Early life and...
- Jack R. LousmaJack R. LousmaJack Robert Lousma is a former NASA astronaut and politician. He was a member of the second manned crew on the Skylab space station and also commanded the third space shuttle mission...
- Edgar D. Mitchell
- Alfred M. Worden
Flight directors
- Gene KranzGene KranzKranz's book, titled Failure Is Not an Option, published five years after the movie, stated, "...a creed that we all lived by: "Failure is not an option."" . The book has three index references for the phrase, but none of those give any indication of the phrase being apocryphal...
, White team - Gerry Griffin, Gold team
- Pete Frank, Orange team
Mission parameters
- MassMassMass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
: CSM 26,801 kg; LM 14,575 kg - PerigeePerigeePerigee is the point at which an object makes its closest approach to the Earth.. Often the term is used in a broader sense to define the point in an orbit where the orbiting body is closest to the body it orbits. The opposite is the apogee, the farthest or highest point.The Greek prefix "peri"...
: 189.5 km - Apogee: 192.4 km
- InclinationInclinationInclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...
: 32.57° - PeriodOrbital periodThe orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...
: 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 - EVAExtra-vehicular activityExtra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
- 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 - Standup 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 April 1966, McDivitt, Scott, and Schweickart were selected as the backup crew to Gus GrissomGus Grissom
Virgil Ivan Grissom , , better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot...
, Ed White
Edward Higgins White
Edward Higgins White, II was an engineer, United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. On June 3, 1965, he became the first American to "walk" in space. White died along with fellow astronauts Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee during a pre-launch test for the first manned Apollo mission at...
, and Roger Chaffee for the planned first manned Earth orbital test flight of the Apollo Command/Service Module
Apollo Command/Service Module
The Command/Service Module was one of two spacecraft, along with the Lunar Module, used for the United States Apollo program which landed astronauts on the Moon. It was built for NASA by North American Aviation...
(CSM), designated AS-204
Apollo 1
Apollo 1 was scheduled to be the first manned mission of the Apollo manned lunar landing program, with a target launch date of February 21, 1967. A cabin fire during a launch pad test on January 27 at Launch Pad 34 at Cape Canaveral killed all three crew members: Command Pilot Virgil "Gus"...
expected to fly in late 1966. This was to be followed by a second similar flight, AS-205, to be crewed by Wally Schirra
Wally Schirra
Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. was an American test pilot, United States Navy officer, and one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts chosen for the Project Mercury, America's effort to put humans in space. He is the only person to fly in all of America's first three space programs...
, Walter Cunningham
Walter Cunningham
Ronnie Walter Cunningham , known as Walt Cunningham, is a retired American astronaut. In 1968, he was the Lunar Module pilot on the Apollo 7 mission...
, and Donn Eisele.
However, delays in the CSM development pushed AS-204 into 1967. By December 1966, the original AS-205 mission was cancelled, Schirra's crew was named as Grissom's backup, and McDivitt's crew was promoted to prime crew for a new second mission, to fly the complete Apollo spacecraft, launching the CSM and Lunar Module
Apollo Lunar Module
The Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program by Grumman to carry a crew of two from lunar orbit to the surface and back...
(LM) on two separate Saturn IB
Saturn IB
The Saturn IB was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for use in the Apollo program...
vehicles into a low Earth orbit. They immediately began training for this flight, designated AS-205/208, expected to occur in late 1967.
On January 27, 1967, Grissom's crew were conducting a launch-pad test for their planned February 21 mission, which they named Apollo 1
Apollo 1
Apollo 1 was scheduled to be the first manned mission of the Apollo manned lunar landing program, with a target launch date of February 21, 1967. A cabin fire during a launch pad test on January 27 at Launch Pad 34 at Cape Canaveral killed all three crew members: Command Pilot Virgil "Gus"...
, when a fire broke out in the cabin, killing all three men and putting an 18-month hold on the manned program while the Command Module was redesigned for safety.
As it turned out, a 1967 launch of AS-205/208 would have been impossible even absent the Apollo 1 accident, as problems with the LM delayed its first unmanned test flight until January 1968. NASA was able to use the 18-month hiatus to catch up with development and unmanned testing of the LM and the Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
Moon launch vehicle.
By October 1967, planning for manned flights resumed, with Apollo 7
Apollo 7
Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the American Apollo space program, and the first manned US space flight after a cabin fire killed the crew of what was to have been the first manned mission, AS-204 , during a launch pad test in 1967...
being the first Earth orbit CSM flight (now known as the C mission) in October 1968 given to Schirra's crew, and McDivitt's mission (now known as the D Mission) following as Apollo 8 in December 1968, using a single Saturn V instead of the two Saturn IBs. This would be followed by a higher Earth orbit flight (E Mission), to be crewed by Frank Borman
Frank Borman
Frank Frederick Borman, II is a retired NASA astronaut and engineer, best remembered as the Commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the Moon, making him, along with fellow crew mates Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, the first of only 24 humans to do so...
, Michael Collins
Michael Collins (astronaut)
Michael Collins is a former American astronaut and test pilot. Selected as part of the third group of fourteen astronauts in 1963, he flew in space twice. His first spaceflight was Gemini 10, in which he and command pilot John Young performed two rendezvous with different spacecraft and Collins...
, and William Anders
William Anders
William Alison Anders is a former United States Air Force officer, NASA astronaut, businessman, and engineer. He is, along with Apollo 8 crewmates Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, one of the first three persons to have left Earth orbit and traveled to the Moon .-Biography:Anders was born to Arthur...
in early 1969.
However, continued LM production problems meant that the D Mission would not be able to fly until the spring of 1969, so NASA officials created another mission for Apollo 8
Apollo 8
Apollo 8, the second manned mission in the American Apollo space program, was the first human spaceflight to leave Earth orbit; the first to be captured by and escape from the gravitational field of another celestial body; and the first crewed voyage to return to Earth from another celestial...
using the Saturn V to launch only the CSM on the first manned flight to orbit the Moon, and the E Mission was cancelled as unnecessary. Since McDivitt's crew had trained for the first LM mission, and he expressed the personal desire to fly it, the Borman and McDivitt crews were swapped, and the D mission became Apollo 9.
The crew swap also affected who would be the first crew to land on the Moon; when the crews for Apollo 8 and 9 were swapped, their backup crews were also swapped. Since the rule of thumb was for backup crews to fly as prime crew three missions later, this put Neil Armstrong's
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
crew (Borman's backup) in position for the first landing mission Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
instead of Pete Conrad's
Pete Conrad
Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. was an American naval officer, astronaut and engineer, and the third person to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission. He set an eight-day space endurance record along with command pilot Gordon Cooper on the Gemini 5 mission, and commanded the Gemini 11 mission...
crew, who made the second landing on Apollo 12
Apollo 12
Apollo 12 was the sixth manned flight in the American Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon . It was launched on November 14, 1969 from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, four months after Apollo 11. Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L...
.
Mission highlights
Apollo 9 was the first space test of the complete Apollo spacecraft, including the third critical piece of Apollo hardware besides the Command/Service ModuleApollo Command/Service Module
The Command/Service Module was one of two spacecraft, along with the Lunar Module, used for the United States Apollo program which landed astronauts on the Moon. It was built for NASA by North American Aviation...
(CSM) and the Saturn V launch vehicle—the Lunar Module
Apollo Lunar Module
The Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program by Grumman to carry a crew of two from lunar orbit to the surface and back...
(LM). It was also the first space docking
Space rendezvous
A space rendezvous is an orbital maneuver during which two spacecraft, one of which is often a space station, arrive at the same orbit and approach to a very close distance . Rendezvous requires a precise match of the orbital velocities of the two spacecraft, allowing them to remain at a constant...
of two vehicles with an internal crew transfer between them. For ten days, the astronauts put both Apollo spacecraft through their paces in Earth orbit, including an undocking and redocking of the lunar lander with the command vehicle, just as the landing mission crew would perform in lunar orbit. Apollo 9 gave proof that the Apollo spacecraft were up to this critical task, on which the lives of lunar landing crews would depend.
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
Gemini 3
Gemini 3 was the first manned mission in NASA's Gemini program, the second American manned space program. On March 23, 1965, the spacecraft, nicknamed The Molly Brown, performed the seventh manned US spaceflight, and the 17th manned spaceflight overall...
). The gangly LM was named Spider, and the CSM was labeled Gumdrop because of the Command Module's shape, and also the blue wrapping in which the craft arrived at Kennedy Space Center. These names were required as radio call signs when the vehicles flew independently.
Schweickart and Scott performed a spacewalk (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 activities 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 the extra tests were scratched.
McDivitt and Schweickart later test-flew the LM, and practiced separation and docking maneuvers in Earth orbit. They flew the LM up to 111 miles (178.6 km) from Gumdrop, using the engine on the descent stage to propel them originally, before jettisoning it and using the ascent stage to return. This test flight represented the first flight of a manned spacecraft that was not equipped to reenter the Earth's atmosphere.
The splashdown point was 23 deg 15 min N, 67 deg 56 min W, 180 miles (290 km) east of Bahamas and within sight of the recovery ship USS Guadalcanal
USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7)
USS Guadalcanal , the third Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship , was launched by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 16 March 1963, sponsored by Mrs. David Shoup, wife of General Shoup, the former Commandant of the Marine Corps; and commissioned 20 July 1963, Captain Dale K. Peterson in command...
.
The command module was displayed at the Michigan Space and Science Center, Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
until April 2004 when the center closed. In May 2004, it was moved to the San Diego Aerospace Museum
San Diego Aerospace Museum
San Diego Air & Space Museum is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California, USA...
. The LM ascent stage orbit decayed on October 23, 1981, the LM descent stage (1969-018D) orbit decayed March 22, 1969. The S-IVB
S-IVB
The S-IVB was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company and served as the third stage on the Saturn V and second stage on the Saturn IB. It had one J-2 engine...
stage J-2
J-2 (rocket engine)
Rocketdyne's J-2 rocket engine was a major component of the Saturn V rocket used in the Apollo program to send men to the Moon. Five J-2 engines were used on the S-II second stage, and one J-2 was used on the S-IVB third stage. The S-IVB was also used as the second stage of the smaller Saturn IB...
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
Happy Birthday to You
"Happy Birthday to You", also known more simply as "Happy Birthday", is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth...
" on March 8, 1969.
Mission insignia and spacecraft names
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
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. The patch was designed by Allen Stevens of Rockwell International.
For the first time since the first manned Gemini mission, the astronauts were allowed to name their spacecraft. This came about to avoid confusion when dealing with two separate craft flying at the same time. The crew dubbed the lunar module Spider for its buglike appearance, and the command module Gumdrop because of its shape.
Summary of maneuvers
| T + Time | Event | Burn Time | Delta-Velocity | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T + 00:00:00 | Lift-off | |||
| T + 00:02:14.34 | S-IC S-IC The S-IC was the first stage of the Saturn V rocket. The S-IC first stage was built by The Boeing Company. Like the first stages of most rockets, most of its mass of over two thousand metric tonnes at launch was propellant, in this case RP-1 rocket fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer... center engine cut-off |
141 s | ||
| T + 00:02:42.76 | S-IC engine cut-off | 169 s | ||
| T + 00:02:45.16 | S-II S-II The S-II was the second stage of the Saturn V rocket. It was built by North American Aviation. Using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen it had five J-2 engines in a cross pattern... ignition |
|||
| T + 00:03:13.5 | S-II skirt separation | |||
| T + 00:03:18.3 | LES Launch escape system A Launch Escape System is a top-mounted rocket connected to the crew module of a crewed spacecraft and used to quickly separate the crew module from the rest of the rocket in case of emergency. Since the escape rockets are above the crew module, an LES typically uses separate nozzles which are... jettison |
|||
| T + 00:08:56.22 | S-II cut-off | |||
| T + 00:08:57 | S-II cutoff + separation, S-IVB ignition | |||
| T + 00:11:04.66 | S-IVB S-IVB The S-IVB was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company and served as the third stage on the Saturn V and second stage on the Saturn IB. It had one J-2 engine... cutoff + orbital insertion |
127.4 s | 191.3 × 189.5 km | |
| T + 02:41:16 | CSM Apollo Command/Service Module The Command/Service Module was one of two spacecraft, along with the Lunar Module, used for the United States Apollo program which landed astronauts on the Moon. It was built for NASA by North American Aviation... /S-IVB separation |
|||
| T + 03:01:59.3 | CSM/LM Apollo Lunar Module The Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program by Grumman to carry a crew of two from lunar orbit to the surface and back... docking |
|||
| T + 04:08:09 | Spacecraft/S-IVB separation | |||
| T + 05:59:01.07 | First Service Propulsion System (SPS) test | 5.1 s | +10.4 m/s | 234.1 × 200.7 km |
| T + 22:13:04.07 | Second SPS test | 110 s | +259.2 m/s | 351.5 × 199.5 km |
| T + 25:17:39.27 | Third SPS test | 281.6 s | +782.6 m/s | 503.4 × 202.6 km |
| T + 28:24:41.37 | Fourth SPS test | 28.2 s | -914.5 m/s | 502.8 × 202.4 km |
| T + 49:41:34.46 | First DPS test | 369.7 s | -530.1 m/s | 499.3 × 202.2 km |
| T + 54:26:12.27 | Fifth SPS test | 43.3 s | -175.6 m/s | 239.3 × 229.3 km |
| T + 92:39:36 | CSM/LM undocking | |||
| T + 93:02:54 | CSM separation maneuver | 10.9 s | -1.5 m/s | |
| T + 93:47:35.4 | LM Descent Propulsion System (DPS) Apollo Lunar Module The Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program by Grumman to carry a crew of two from lunar orbit to the surface and back... phasing maneuver |
18.6 s | +27.6 m/s | 253.5 × 207 km |
| T + 95:39:08.6 | LM DPS insertion maneuver | 22.2 s | +13.1 m/s | 257.2 × 248.2 km |
| T + 96:16:06.54 | LM concentric sequence initiation maneuver/Descent stage jettison | 30.3 s | -12.2 m/s | 255.2 × 208.9 km |
| T + 96:58:15 | LM Ascent Propulsion System (APS) constant delta height maneuver | 2.9 s | -12.6 m/s | 215.6 × 207.2 km |
| T + 97:57:59 | LM terminal phase finalization maneuver | 34.7 s | +6.8 m/s | 232.8 × 208.5 km |
| T + 99:02:26 | CSM/LM docking | |||
| T + 101:22:45 | LM ascent stage jettison | |||
| T + 101:32:44 | Post-jettison CSM separation maneuver | 7.2 s | +0.9 m/s | 235.7 × 224.6 km |
| T + 101:53:15.4 | LM APS burn to depletion | 350 s | +1,643.2 m/s | 6,934.4 × 230.6 km |
| T + 123:25:06.97 | Sixth SPS test | 1.29 s | -11.5 m/s | 222.6 × 195.2 km |
| T + 169:39:00.36 | Seventh SPS test | 25 s | +199.6 m/s | 463.4 × 181.1 km |
| T + 240:31:14.84 | Deorbit burn (SPS) | 11.6 s | -99.1 m/s | 442.2 × -7.8 km |
| T + 240:36:03.8 | SM jettison | |||
| T + 241:00:54 | Splashdown |
Spacecraft location
The Apollo 9 Command Module Gumdrop (1969-018A) is on display at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. Its service module was jettisoned shortly after the deorbit burn and decayed during reentry of the command module.
The ascent stage of LM-3 Spider (1969-018C) decayed on October 23, 1981.
The descent stage of LM-3 Spider (1969-018D) decayed March 22, 1969.
The upper stage of the Apollo 9 Saturn V, S-IVB-504N, (1969-018B) is in heliocentric (solar) orbit.
See also
- Extra-vehicular activityExtra-vehicular activityExtra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
- List of spacewalks
- SplashdownSplashdown (spacecraft landing)Splashdown is the method of landing a spacecraft by parachute in a body of water. It was used by American manned spacecraft prior to the Space Shuttle program. It is also possible for the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft to land in water, though this is only a contingency...