Apollo 9

Key facts

Mission & specifications

Mission

Apollo 9 was the first crewed test of the complete Apollo spacecraft — and, crucially, of the Lunar Module that would actually land on the Moon. Launched on 3 March 1969, James McDivitt, David Scott and Russell Schweickart spent ten days in Earth orbit putting the lander through its paces, safely close to home. For the first time a crewed Lunar Module flew free of the Command Module: McDivitt and Schweickart powered up the spidery craft they nicknamed 'Spider', undocked from the Command Module 'Gumdrop', and flew up to 180 kilometres away before rendezvousing and redocking — proving the lander could fly, separate and return, the manoeuvre on which every Moon landing would depend. Schweickart also stepped outside to test the Apollo spacesuit's self-contained life-support backpack, the system astronauts would wear on the lunar surface. Apollo 9 was not glamorous, but it was indispensable: it validated the one spacecraft that had never carried a crew, and that could be tested nowhere but in space.

1. 1969Apollo 9 reaches orbitLaunch

   A 10-day Earth-orbit test of the complete spacecraft, including the first crewed Lunar Module.

2. 1969Testing the lunar spacesuitSpacewalk / EVA

   Schweickart steps outside to test the self-contained life-support backpack astronauts will wear on the Moon.

3. 1969'Spider' flies freeMilestone

   The crewed Lunar Module undocks and flies up to 180 km away before redocking — proving the lander can fly and return.

4. 1969SplashdownMission end

   Apollo 9 validates the lander in Earth orbit, the last test before flying it to the Moon.

Images

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