Posts: 43576 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-03-2009 09:20 PM
At 11:00 a.m. EST on March 3, 1969, the first crew to fly the complete Apollo spacecraft in Earth orbit launched aboard a Saturn V from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
Forty years later, just shy of the anniversary of their flight, the crew of Apollo 9 -- Command Module Pilot Dave Scott, Commander Jim McDivitt and Lunar Module Pilot Rusty Schweickart -- reunited with their spacecraft Gumdrop at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.
posted 03-03-2009 10:32 PM
I remember as a child being home sick from school and watching the landing on TV.
GACspaceguy Member
Posts: 2516 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
posted 03-04-2009 05:17 AM
I also was home "sick" to watch the EVA and talked my teacher into bringing in a TV into the class to watch the splashdown.
I remember that Rusty had the "flu" and the EVA was shortened because of it.
p.j. mcgill New Member
Posts: From: Registered:
posted 03-06-2009 09:21 PM
Thanks for the reminder, Robert. i was in grade five, coolaroo south primary. i will never forget those great time-life photos. i remember my teacher going off because my mates and i would be forever drawing CM's and LM's in art class. without a hint of irony, she would be going,'will you boy's use some imagination and draw something else!?'
hey, my first post.
Obviousman Member
Posts: 438 From: NSW, Australia Registered: May 2005
posted 03-07-2009 02:05 AM
If anyone is interested, I am doing a 'day-by-day' narrative of the flight.
I intend to do the same for Apollo's 10 and 11 as we come up to the 40th anniversary of the flights.
spaceman1953 Member
Posts: 953 From: South Bend, IN Registered: Apr 2002
posted 03-11-2009 07:40 PM
Obviousman, thanks for that narration.
OK, now I have a dumb, really dumb question. First, I have seen that RED ROVER picture of Dave Scott poking his body out of the C/SM many times... but never thought about WHO took that picture! That was taken by Rusty in the LM? And he WAS supposed to do an outside the Spider EVA over to the C/SM? That picture taken from the LM porch... was Rusty OUTSIDE on the porch? Thanks for the clarifications!
Gene
ilbasso Member
Posts: 1522 From: Greensboro, NC USA Registered: Feb 2006
posted 03-11-2009 08:07 PM
Gene, you got it! Rusty took the photos of Dave from the LM porch. And yes, the original plan was for Rusty to go up the emergency rail on the ascent stage over to the CM and enter through the hatch. That plan was scrubbed as too ambitious after Rusty's bout with the 'flu.'
Obviousman Member
Posts: 438 From: NSW, Australia Registered: May 2005
posted 03-12-2009 02:09 AM
The EVA still met most all of the objectives. They proved the PLSS backpack, collected samples from outside the LM and CM, did a trial depress and hatch open on the LM, etc.
Obviousman Member
Posts: 438 From: NSW, Australia Registered: May 2005
posted 03-12-2009 06:38 AM
Can someone clear something up for me? The mission transcript has the de-orbit burn at about 32 minutes and 15 seconds past the hour. The mission report table 3-1, however, has that burn at 31 minutes and 15 seconds past the hour.
Which is correct?
heng44 Member
Posts: 3413 From: Netherlands Registered: Nov 2001
posted 03-12-2009 06:44 AM
quote:Originally posted by ilbasso: Rusty took the photos of Dave from the LM porch.
But so did McDivitt (through the overhead rendezvous window). All three crewmen had cameras during the EVA. Didn't one of them say: "Now everybody is taking pictures of everybody taking pictures"?
Ed
ilbasso Member
Posts: 1522 From: Greensboro, NC USA Registered: Feb 2006
posted 03-12-2009 06:57 AM
There is one picture that McDivitt took of Rusty on the porch that is often seen. It has the LPD hashmarks on the CDR's window visible in the picture.
The more widely seen photos of Rusty and Dave were taken by each other - there was a wide and unobstructed field of view and no reflections off of glass or window frames in the scene. This view of Dave Scott, for example shows the front of the LM, a view which McDivitt obviously couldn't get from inside the cabin.
And this picture of Rusty was taken by Dave, since you can see the EVA rail, which wouldn't have been visible from inside the LM cabin.
heng44 Member
Posts: 3413 From: Netherlands Registered: Nov 2001
posted 03-12-2009 07:52 AM
The first two photos posted above are from magazine E or AS09-20, which was apparently used by both McDivitt and Schweickart.
The first four frames on this mag show Scott in Gumdrop's hatch, as seen by McDivitt through the rendezvous window. He then passed the camera outside to Schweickart, who shot frames AS09-20-3057 through 3071, showing Scott (including the famous AS09-20-3064 shown above)) and the exterior of Spider. Then the camera went inside to McDivitt again, who first made a few photos of Schweickart through his forward window and then exposed frames AS09-20-3077 through 3084, showing Scott getting back inside.
Scott used magazine A or AS09-19.
All these photos can be viewed at the Apollo Image Gallery, by the way.
Ed
4allmankind Member
Posts: 1048 From: Dallas Registered: Jan 2004
posted 03-12-2009 09:26 AM
Apollo 9 was such a super mission, thanks to all for posting the great photos above.
And in my opinion, the A9 episode of FTETTM was the best one they made as well!
posted 03-03-2009 09:20 PM
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