Apollo 9 Press Kit

157 Pages·1998·5.23 MB·English

N E W S NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION WO 2-4155
WASHINGTON,D.C. 20546 WO 3-6525
FOR RELEASE: sumy
February 23, 1969
BEmSE NO: 69-29
P PROJECT:
APOLLO 9
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N E W S NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION WO 2-4155
WASHINGTON,D.C. 20546 W03-6925
FOR RELEASE: SUNDAY
pebruary 23, 1969
RELEASE NO: 69-29
APOLLO 9 CARRIES LUNAR MODULE
Apollo 9, scheduled for launch at 11 a.m. EST, Feb. 28,
from the National Aeronautics and Space Administrationts
Kennedy Space Center hunch Complex 39A, is the first manned
flight of the Apollo spacecraft lunar module (LM).
The Earth-orbital mission w i l l Include extensive perfor-
mance tests of the lunar module, a rendezvous of the lunar
module with the command and service modules, and two hours
of extravehicular activity by the lunar modul; pilot.
To the maxlmum extent possible, the rendezvous in Earth
orbit w i l l resemble the type of rendezvous that w i l l take place
in lunar orbit following a lunar landing. Rendezvous and dock-
ing of the lunar module with the command and service modules,
extensive testing of the lunar module engines and other systems,
and extravehicular activity are among the mission's objectives.
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Apollo 9 crewmen are Spacecraft Commander James A.
McDivitt, Command Module Pilot David R. Scott and Lunar Module
Pilot Russell Schweickart. The mission w i l l be the second
space flight for McDivitt (Gemini I+) and Scott (Gemini 8),
and the first for Schweickart.
Backup crew is comprised of Spacecraft Commander Charles
Conrad, Jr., Command Module Pilot Richard F. Gordon and Lunar
Module Pilot Alan L. Bean.
Mission events have been arranged in a work-day basis i n
what is perhaps the most ambitious NASA manned space mission
to date. The first five days are packed with lunar module
engine tests and systems checkouts, burns of the service
module's 20,500-pound-thrust engine while the command/service
module and lunar module are docked, the lunar module pilot's
hand-over-hand transfer i n space from the lunar module to the
command module and back again, and rendezvous. The remainder
of the 10-day, open-ended mission will be at a more leisurely
pace.
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The first day's mission activities revolve around dock-
ing the command module to the lunar module still attached t o
the Saturn V launch vehicle S-IVB third stage. When docking
is complete and the tunnel joint between the two spacecraft
is rigid, the entire Apollo spacecraft w i l l be spring-ejected
from the S-IVB. Maneuvering more than 2,000 feet away from
the S-IW, the Apollo 9 crew w i l l observe the first of two
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restarts of the S-IVB's J-2 engine the second of which
will boost the stage into an Earth-escape trajectory and into
solar orbit.
Otner first-day mission activities include a docked
service propulsion engine burn t o improve orbital lifetime
and to test the command/service module (CSM) digital auto-
pilot (DAD) during service propulsion system (SPS) burns.
The digital autopilot w i l l undergo additional stability
tests during the second work day when the SPS engine is ignited
three more times. Also, the three docked burns reduce CSM
weight to enhance possible contingency rescue of the lunar
module during rendezvous using the service module reaction
control thrusters.
A thorough checkout of lunar module systems takes up most
of the third work day when the spacecraft commander and lunar
module pilot transfer through the docking tunnel to the
TjM and power it up. -
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