Ten facts about the Apollo 9 mission
It was the third manned space flight in the Apollo program.
The launch happened on 3rd March 1969 after a three day delay due to a minor viral infection contracted by all three astronauts.
The crew comprised three men, commander James McDivitt, command module pilot David Scott and lunar module pilot Russell Schweickart.
The lunar module was called Spider, and the command module was called Gumdrop.
It was the first time a lunar module was used, and was a “dress rehearsal” for the moon landing.
Schweickart, whose nickname was Rusty, conducted a 47 minute spacewalk to check the new spacesuits.
It was the first time astronauts transferred between the two vehicles without needing to go out into the vacuum of space.
The mission lasted just over 10 days, completing 151 orbits of the earth.
They eventually crashed down into the Atlantic on 13th March, and all astronauts survived.
As it was considered a success, it ensured that the next Apollo mission would go ahead, eventually leading to the first moon landing.
