APOLLO 9 ( AS-504 )
Apollo 9 insignia
Apollo 9 prime crew
Mission Status
| Launch date | 03. Mar. 1969 16:00:00 UTC(11:00:00 EST) |
|---|---|
| Mission Designation | AS-504 / SA-504 |
| Launch Pad | PAD 39A |
| Spacecraft | |
| CSM | CSM-104 (Gumdrop) |
| LM | LM-3 (Spider) |
| Launch vehcle | |
| Type | Saturn V |
| First Stage | S-IC-4 |
| Second Stage | S-II-4 |
| Third stage | S-IVB-504 |
| Instrument Unit(IU) | S-IU-504 |
| Prime crew | |
| Commander Pilot:CDP | James A. McDivitt |
| CM Pilot:CMP | David R. Scott |
| LM Pilot:LMP | Russel L. Schweickart |
| Backup crew | |
| Commander Pilot:CDP | Charles Conrad, Jr. |
| CM Pilot:CMP | Richard F. Gordon, Jr. |
| LM Pilot:LMP | Alan L. Bean |
| Mission Objective | |
| Demonstrate LM/crew performance. Demonstrate selected lunar orbit rendezvous mission activities including transposition, docking withdrawal, intervehicular crew transfer, EVA, SPS and DPS burns, and LM active rendezvous and docking. | |
| Mission Result | |
|
Because of Schweickart's illness, most EVA's were canceled.
Over the first few days the CSM service propulsion system (SPS) was fired five times to change the orbit to prepare for rendezvous manuevers and test the dynamics of the CSM and LM under thrust. The LM descent engine was also fired for 367 seconds on 5 March. On 6 March Schweickart conducted a 37.5 minute EVA on the LM porch to test the astronaut's portable life support system and extravehicular mobility unit. At the same time Scott performed an EVA from the CSM side hatch. On 7 March at 13:03 UT, the LM, carrying McDivitt and Schweickart, separated from the CSM. It was put into a circular orbit about 20 km higher than the CSM. The LM descent stage was jettisoned and for the first time in space the ascent stage engine was fired, lowering the LM orbit to 16 km below and 120 km behind the CSM. A simulated rendezvous of the LM returning from a lunar mission with the orbiting CSM culminated in docking at 19:02 UT. The crew transferred back to the CSM, The LM ascent stage (1969-018C) was jettisoned and its ascent engine was commanded to fire to fuel depletion, into an Earth orbit of 235 x 6970 km. The LM ascent stage orbit decayed on 23 October 1981, the LM descent stage (1969-018D) orbit decayed 22 March 1969. The remaining four days included more orbital manuevers and a landmark tracking exercise. |
|
| Parameters | |
| Launch weight | 2,901,704(kg) |
| Earth orbits | 151 |
| Duration | 241:00:54(10days 1hours) |
| Splashed down | 13.Mar.1969 17:00:54 UTC(12:00:54 EST) |
| Splashdown point | Atlantic Ocean:23 deg 15 min N, 67 deg 56 min W:180 miles east of Bahamas |
| Recovery ship | U.S.S Guadalcanal |
| CSM-104 Apollo9 Gumdrop |
|---|
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| BLOCK2. |
| LM-3 Apollo9 Spider |
|---|
|
| No Thermal Blanket on legs. Four Lunar Surface Sensing Probe are attached at all legs. Scimitar antenna on front face. No RCS Plume Deflectors. |
Mission Photos
Related books and videos
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[DVD] Apollo 9: Spider Takes Flight
Spacecraft Films / Twentieth Century Fox Home Video February 28, 2004 USD34.99
DISC 1 Simulator - The prime crew and the CM and LM simulator preparing for their mission. Audio from preflight interview with Jim McDivitt. Altitude Chamber - Footage of the prime crew during the altitude chamber checkouts with the spacecraft. Audio from preflight interview with Dave Scott. Includes backup crew run. Vomit Comet- Zero-G training for EVA in the KC-135 aircraft. Audio from preflight interview with Rusty Schweickart. Includes backup crew training. Underwater Training - Zero-G training for EVA in the Neutral Buoyancy tank. Audio from preflight interview with Rusty Schweickart. LM-3 - Checkout of the first ever manned LM. Audio from preflight interview with Owen Maynard, NASA engineer, concerning the design and development of the lunar module. Rollout - The launch vehicle and the mobile launch platform make their way out to pad 39A. Padwork - Preparation at the Pad for the launch of Apollo 9. Audio from preflight interviews with NASA engineers and flight crew. Includes prime and backup crew emergency egress training at the pad. Launch Day- Suitup, from the CDDT and launch day. Launch - Multi-angle launch views of the Apollo 9 launch.
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[BOOK] Apollo 9 : The NASA Mission Reports
Apogee Books January 31, 1999 USD49.98
Brings together four of the most important documents from the Apollo 9 mission.