Apollo 9

Preparations for Launch

Last updated 2017-02-10.

Apollo 9 was a D mission in the Apollo mission sequence: a manned test of the Command and Service Module (CSM) and Lunar Module (LM) in Earth orbit. Both the CSM and LM had been tested in unmanned configurations on earlier flights and a manned test flight of the CSM in Earth orbit (C mission) was flown as Apollo 7.

Personnel

Note: the biographies only include information prior to Apollo 9. For post-Apollo 9 information see the full biographies.


Jim McDivitt
1971 Portrait of Jim McDivitt, S71-59425

Jim McDivitt - Commander

James A. McDivitt was born June 10, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1959 and an Honorary Doctorate in Astronautical Science from the University of Michigan in 1965.

James McDivitt joined the Air Force in 1951 and flew combat missions in F-80 and F-86 fighter aircraft in the Korean War. He was a graduate of the USAF Experimental Test Pilot School and the Aerospace Research Pilot course. He served as an experimental test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in California. At the time of the Apollo 9 flight James McDivitt held the rank of Colonel, USAF.

James McDivitt was selected as an astronaut by NASA in September 1962 (NASA Group 2).

He was the command pilot with Ed White on Gemini IV which launched on June 3, 1965. The highlight of the four day mission was the 22-minute controlled extravehicular activity (EVA) by pilot Ed White.

James McDivitt's full biography is available from NASA.


Dave Scott
Apollo 15 Portrait of Dave Scott, S71-52276

Dave Scott - Command Module Pilot

David R. Scott was born June 6, 1932 in San Antonio, Texas.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His Master's degree thesis was on interplanetary navigation.

He completed pilot training in 1955. He was assigned to the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron at Soesterberg Air Force Base (RNAF), Netherlands from April 1956 to July 1960. After completing his studies at MIT, he attended the USAF Experimental Test Pilot School and the Aerospace Research Pilot School. At the time of the Apollo 9 flight David Scott held the rank of Colonel, USAF.

David Scott was selected as an astronaut by NASA in October 1963 (NASA Group 3).

He flew as the pilot with Neil Armstrong on Gemini VIII which launched on March 16, 1966. The flight was scheduled to last three days but was terminated early due to a thruster malfunction. However the crew were able to perform the first successful in-orbit rendezvous and docking with another vehicle.

David Scott's full biography is available from NASA.


Russell Schweickart
1971 Portrait of Russell Schweickart, S71-51265

Russell Schweickart - Lunar Module Pilot

Russell L. "Rusty" Schweickart was born October 25, 1935 in Neptune, New Jersey.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His Master's degree thesis was on stratospheric radiance. He was a research scientist at the Experimental Astronomy Laboratory at MIT.

He served as a pilot in the USAF and Air National Guard from 1956 to 1963.

Russell Schweickart was selected as an astronaut in October 1963 (NASA Group 3).

Russell Schweickart's full biography is available from NASA and also on his personal website.


Apollo 9 Backup Crew


Pete Conrad
1971 Portrait of Pete Conrad, S71-51259

Pete Conrad - Backup Commander

Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. was born June 2, 1930 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Princeton University in 1953 and an Honorary Master of Arts degree from Princeton in 1966.

He entered the Navy in 1953 and became a naval aviator. He attended the Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, where he was assigned as a project test pilot. He also served as a flight instructor and performance engineer at the Test Pilot School. After completing his tour of duty at Patuxent River, he served as instructor pilot in F4H Phantoms and was then assigned duty on board USS Ranger. At the time of the Apollo 9 flight he held the rank of Commander, USN.

Pete Conrad was selected as an astronaut by NASA in September 1962 (NASA Group 2).

He was the pilot with command pilot Gordon Cooper on Gemini V which launched on August 21, 1965 for an eight-day endurance flight.

He was the backup command pilot on Gemini VIII with pilot Richard Gordon and that crew then rotated into the prime crew on Gemini XI which launched on September 12 1966. They were able to rendezvous and dock with an Agena in less than one orbit demonstrating a capability required for lunar orbit rendezvous. During the mission the crew established an Earth-orbit space altitude record of 740 nautical miles [1370 km].

Pete Conrad's full biography is available from NASA and also on his personal website.


Dick Gordon
1964 Portrait of Dick Gordon, S64-31459

Richard Gordon - Backup Command Module Pilot

Richard F. Gordon, Jr. was born October 5, 1929, in Seattle, Washington.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Washington in 1951.

In 1953 he received his wings as a naval aviator and then attended All-Weather Flight School and jet transitional training and was subsequently assigned to an all-weather fighter squadron at the Naval Air Station at Jacksonville, Florida. In 1957, he attended the Navy's Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, and served as a flight test pilot until 1960. He was the first project test pilot for the F4H Phantom II. Later, he served with Fighter Squadron 121 at the Miramar, California, Naval Air Station as a flight instructor in the F4H and participated in the introduction of that aircraft to the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. At the time of the Apollo 9 flight he held the rank of Commander, USN.

Dick Gordon was selected as an astronaut in October 1963 (NASA Group 3).

He served as the backup pilot for Gemini VIII and then flew on Gemini XI with command pilot Pete Conrad. During the 3 day mission he performed two periods of extravehicular activity.

Dick Gordon's full biography is available from NASA and also on his personal website.


Alan Bean
1971 Portrait of Alan Bean, S71-51300

Alan Bean - Backup Lunar Module Pilot

Alan L. Bean was born March 15, 1932 in Wheeler Texas.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Texas in 1955.

A Navy ROTC Student at Texas, he was commissioned upon graduation in 1955. After completing flight training, he was assigned to a Attack Squadron 44 in Jacksonville, Florida. After a four-year tour of duty, he attended the Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland. He flew as a test pilot on several types of naval aircraft and participated in the initial trials of the A5A and A4E jet attack aircraft. At the time of the Apollo 9 flight he held the rank of Commander, USN.

Alan Bean was selected as an astronaut in October 1963 (NASA Group 3).

He was the backup command pilot for Gemini X.

Alan Bean's full biography is available from NASA.


Apollo 9 CapComs


Stuart Roosa
1971 Portrait of Stuart Roosa, S71-59427

Stuart Roosa - CapCom

Stuart A. Roosa was born August 16, 1933 in Durango, Colorado.

He graduated with honors and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Colorado.

He spent several summers in the early 1950s as a smoke jumper with the U.S. Forest Service parachuting in to fight forest fires. He joined the Air Force in 1953 and is a graduate of the Aviation Cadet Program at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, where he received his flight training commission in the Air Force. He was assigned as a fighter pilot at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, where he flew the F-84F and F-100 aircraft. He served as Chief of Service Engineering (AFLC) at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. He was a maintenance flight test pilot at Olmstead Air Force Base, Pennsylvania, from July 1962 to August 1964, flying F-101 aircraft. Following graduation from the Aerospace Research Pilots School, he was an experimental test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base, California from September 1965 to May 1966. At the time of the Apollo 9 flight he held the rank of Major, USAF.

Stuart Roosa was selected as a astronaut in April 1966 (NASA Group 5).

Stuart Roosa's full biography is available from NASA.


Ron Evans
1971 Portrait of Ron Evans, S71-51273

Ron Evans - CapCom

Ronald E. Evans was born November 10, 1933 in St. Francis, Kansas.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kansas in 1956 and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the U. S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1964.

In June 1957 he completed flight training after receiving his commission as an Ensign through the Navy ROTC Program at the University of Kansas. He participated in two WESTPAC aircraft carrier cruises while a pilot with VF-142. From January 1961 to June 1962 he was a combat flight instructor (F8 aircraft) with VF-124. Prior to his selection to the astronaut program Evans was on sea duty in the Pacific-assigned to VF51 and flying F8 aircraft from the carrier USS Ticonderoga during a period of seven months in Viet Nam combat operation. At the time of the Apollo 9 flight he held the rank of Lieutenant Commander, USN.

Ron Evans was selected as a astronaut in April 1966 (NASA Group 5). He served as a member of the support crew for Apollo VII.

Ron Evan's full biography is available from NASA.


Apollo 9 Support Crew


Jack Lousma
Skylab 3 Portrait of Jack Lousma, S71-52262

Jack Lousma

Jack R. Lousma was born February 29, 1936 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1959, and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the U. S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1965.

He became a Marine Corps officer in 1959 and received his wings in 1960 after completing training at the U.S. Naval Air Training Command. He was then assigned to VMA-224, 2nd Marine Air Wing, as an attack pilot and later served with VMA-224, 1st Marine Air Wing, at Iwakuni, Japan. Lousma was a reconnaissance pilot with VMCJ-2, 2nd Marine Air Wing, at Cherry Point, North Carolina, before being assigned to Houston and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. At the time of the Apollo 9 flight he held the rank of Major, USMC.

He was selected as a astronaut in April 1966 (NASA Group 5).

Jack Lousma's full biography is available from NASA.


Ed Mitchell
Apollo 14 Portrait of Ed Mitchell, S70-55388

Edgar Mitchell

Edgar D. Mitchell was born September 17, 1930 in Hereford, Texas.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon University in 1952, a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1961, and a Doctorate of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964.

Ed Mitchell entered the Navy in 1952. He completed flight training in July 1954 at Hutchinson, Kansas, and subsequently was assigned to Patrol Squadron 29 deployed to Okinawa. From 1957 to 1958, he flew A3 aircraft while assigned to Heavy Attack Squadron Two deployed aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard and USS Ticongeroga. He was a research project pilot with Air Development Squadron Five until 1959. From 1964 to 1965 he served as Chief, Project Management Division of the Navy Field Office for Manned Orbiting Laboratory. He graduated first in his class from the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School where he also served as an instructor in advanced mathematics and navigation theory for astronaut candidates. At the time of the Apollo 9 flight he held the rank of Lieutenant Commander, USN.

He was selected as a astronaut in April 1966 (NASA Group 5).

Ed Mitchell's full biography is available from NASA and also on his personal website.


Al Worden
1971 Portrait of Al Worden, S71-52280

Alfred Worden

Alfred M. Worden was born February 7, 1932 in Jackson, Michigan.

He received a Bachelor of Military Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1955 and Master of Science degrees in Astronautical/Aeronautical Engineering and Instrumentation Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1963.

After being commissioned in the Air Force, he received flight training at Moore Air Base, Texas; Laredo Air Force Base, Texas; and Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. He served as a pilot and armament officer from March 1957 to May 1961 with the 95th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. He attended Randolph Air Force Base Instrument Pilots Instructor School in 1963 and is is a February 1965 graduate of the Empire Test Pilots School in Farnborough, England. In September 1965 he graduated from the Aerospace Research Pilots School and then served there as an instructor. At the time of the Apollo 9 flight he held the rank of Major, USAF.

He was selected as a astronaut in April 1966 (NASA Group 5).

Al Worden's full biography is available from NASA and also on his personal website.


Flight Directors


Eugene Kranz - Flight Director (White Team)


Gerry Griffin - Flight Director (Gold Team)


Pete Frank - Flight Director (Orange Team)


Apollo 9 Mission History

Preparation

Apollo 9 Preparation Milestones
Date Event Reference
Arrival of S-II-504 at KSC 1968-05-15 FE-69-4, Page 3-1
Arrival of LM-3 at KSC 1968-06-14 FE-69-4, Page 3-1
LM-3 reassigned to Apollo 9 mission 1968-08-19 FE-69-4, Page 3-1
Arrival of S-IVB-504 at KSC 1968-09-12 FE-69-4, Page 3-1
Arrival of S-IC-4 at KSC 1968-09-30 FE-69-4, Page 3-1
Arrival of IU-504 at KSC 1968-09-30 FE-69-4, Page 3-1
Arrival of CSM-104 1968-10-05 FE-69-4, Page 3-1
Spacecraft mated to launch vehicle 1968-12-03 FE-69-4, Page 3-1
Transferred to launch complex 39A 1969-01-03 FE-69-4, Page 3-1
Terminal countdown initiated 1969-02-26 FE-69-4, Page 3-1
Terminal countdown interrupted 1969-02-27 FE-69-4, Page 3-1
Terminal countdown reinitiated 1969-03-01 FE-69-4, Page 3-1

[Note: FE-69-4 refers to the CSM as CSM-103.]