Apollo 9 Completes Crucial Test of Lunar Landing Spacecraft

‘America to the Moon’ Part 7 –Lunar Module is Ready for the Moon

By Bob Granath

After the Apollo command/service module was tested successfully in Earth orbit and on a trip to the Moon, NASA prepared for the next step, the first piloted flight test of the spacecraft designed to land on the lunar surface.

Referencing the 1968 flights of Apollo 7 and Apollo 8, Dr. George Mueller, NASA’s associate administrator for Manned Space Flight, wrote to Dr. Kurt Debus, director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

“Success of this magnitude does not just happen,” Mueller said. “We have progressed rapidly and can expect to continue so into expanded lunar operations only because you personally and all of the competent, dedicated people at the center at all levels have worked hard and long to get the most difficult task in our nation’s history carried out.”

Apollo 9’s mission was designed to qualify the lunar module, or LM, by demonstrating its descent and ascent propulsion systems, showing that two spacecraft could fly independently, followed by rendezvous and docking. Two spacecraft meeting in space had been proven during Project Gemini and would be crucial for crews returning to the command module, or CM, after exploration of the Moon.

Now it was Apollo’s turn to demonstrate rendezvous between two piloted spacecraft.

Another goal was to test the Apollo spacesuits and portable life support system backpack during a spacewalk. This would prove it was able to support astronauts walking on the Moon.

Spacecraft commander for Apollo 9 was astronaut Jim McDivitt. A Chicago native, he was a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and test pilot before being selected in 1962 as a member of NASA’s second group of astronauts. In June 1965, he was command pilot for Gemini IV, a four day-flight that included the first spacewalk by an American.

David Scott served as Apollo 9’s command module pilot. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he also was an Air Force fighter pilot and test pilot prior to being selected as a member of the agency’s third group of astronauts in 1963. Scott was pilot for Gemini VIII, the first mission to rendezvous and dock with another spacecraft.

Lunar module pilot Rusty Schweickart would be flying for the first time. He was born in in Neptune Township, New Jersey and was an Air Force pilot. Prior to joining NASA’s 1963 group of astronauts, Schweickart was a research scientist at the Experimental Astronomy Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Saturn V for Apollo 9 lifted off Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy on March 3. 1969. During the trip to Earth orbit, McDivitt reported “a smooth ride.”

After the Saturn V’s third stage shut down, the next major task was to separate the CM, turn around and dock with the LM. The combined spacecraft then moved away from the spent rocket stage.

On the third flight day, McDivitt and Schweickart checked out the LM’s systems and used its descent engine to move the combined spacecraft. This would prove crucial in an emergency if the LM’s descent engine was needed serve as a backup to the CM’s service propulsion system engine.

During the checkout, Schweickart, suffered from what is known as space adaptation syndrome, or space sickness. As many as half of all astronauts are affected by the condition when weightless causes some form of nausea.

Plans for Apollo 9’s fourth day called for Schweickart to climb out of the LM’s hatch and use hand holds moving to the CM. At that point Scott would assist Schweickart inside. This was designed to demonstrate that this could be done if the tunnel between the two spacecraft was blocked after a crew returned from the lunar surface.

However, the spacewalk was almost cancelled due to Schweickart’s nausea.

With Schweickart feeling better the next day, it was decided to allow him to exit the LM, and once he was there, to move around the LM’s exterior using handholds, but not move to the CM.

Once Schweickart was standing just outside the LM’s hatch, he called for Scott.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” he said.

Scott then stood in the CM’s hatch while both photographed each other and retrieved experiments from outside the two vehicles.

“We’re all up here taking pictures of everybody tanking pictures,” McDivitt reported from inside the LM.

March 7 was the most important day of the mission. McDivitt and Schweickart entered the lunar module and undocked. This was the first time astronauts flew a spacecraft that did not have the capability to return to Earth.

To aid Mission Control in Houston in speaking to the separate spacecraft,. they operated with separate call names. Because of its shape, the CM was named, “Gumdrop.” The LM was dubbed, “Spider,” as it had the appearance of a bug.

Once Scott in Gumdrop released Spider, he said, ” You’re free.”

The two spacecraft now were flying separately.

“Let me get a picture of that,” Schweickart said, looking back at the command module. “Oh boy, that’s pretty.”

About 45 minutes after station keeping with Gumdrop, Spider was maneuvered to a higher orbit, falling behind Gumdrop. McDivitt fired the LM’s descent engine at varying throttle settings, thoroughly testing the system. Spider’s descent engine was fired to lower its orbit to begin catching up with Gumdrop. This all took a little over two hours.

After the descent stage, or lower half for the LM, was jettisoned, McDivitt noted there was no doubt.

“OK, there was a pretty good sized thump at staging and a cloud of debris out front,” he said.

The approach and rendezvous were conducted as closely as possible to what was planned for the missions to the Moon.

As the two spacecraft closed in for the rendezvous, McDivitt spotted the familiar sight.

“Hey, Davey, I think I see you again,” he said.

As McDivitt docked the LM to the CM, the crew could hear the latchets holding the two spacecraft as they engaged.

“Oh, did that sound good,” said Schweickart as Gumdrop was his and McDivitt’s only ride home to Earth.

Apollo 9 remained in Earth orbit for just over 10 days to checking out the CM ensuring it would perform during the time required for a lunar mission. Scott was principally responsible for testing of the command/service module allowing McDivitt and Schweickart time to take photographs of the Earth.

“We were that first crew that was going to get a chance to fly and test this vehicle that was going to take human beings to the Moon,” Schweickart said during an interview after the mission. “We were very aware of the time pressure and everything has to go right if we’re for sure going to meet (President John F.) Kennedy’s goal of getting to the Moon in this decade.”

The eighth and final burn of the CM’s service propulsion system took place on March 13 to slow the spacecraft for reentry. Apollo 9 splashed down 180 miles east of the Bahamas, about 3 miles from the recovery ship, the USS Guadalcanal, concluding the mission of 10 days, 1 hour, 54 minutes.

Afterward, Air Force Lt. Gen. Sam Phillips, Apollo Program director, praised the outcome of the Apollo 9 flight.

“In every way, it has exceeded even our most optimistic expectations.” he said. “The mission served its primary purpose. Get the lunar module into manned operation and to demonstrate a large number of the important maneuvers that the lunar module must do, and that the command/service module must do together and independently.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the seventh in a series of feature articles marking the 50th anniversary of NASA’s Apollo missions to the Moon. During the 1960s and early 1970s, the space agency and its contractors sent astronauts from Earth beginning a period of exploration that will lead to pioneering flights planned for the 21st century. Next, read about how “Charlie Brown” and “Snoopy” prepared the way for the first landing on the Moon.

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