Editing Apollo 9 (section)

{{Short description|3rd crewed mission of the Apollo space program}}
{{For|the single by Adam Ant|Vive Le Rock{{!}}''Vive Le Rock''}}
{{Featured article}}
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{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2014}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name = Apollo 9
| image = Gumdrop Meets Spider - GPN-2000-001100.jpg
| image_size = 270
| image_caption = [[Apollo command and service module#Command module (CM)|CM]] pilot [[David Scott]] performs a stand-up [[Extravehicular activity|EVA]]<br>from CM ''Gumdrop'', seen from docked [[Apollo Lunar Module|LM]] ''Spider''
| insignia = Apollo 9 mission patch.svg
| insignia_alt = Apollo 9 insignia
| mission_type = Crewed Earth orbital<br>CSM/LM flight ([[List of Apollo missions#Alphabetical mission types|D]])
| operator = [[NASA]]
| COSPAR_ID = {{Unbulleted list
  |CSM: 1969-018A{{sfn|Orloff & Harland|p=227}}
  |LM ascent stage: 1969-018C{{sfn|Orloff & Harland|p=227}}
  |LM descent stage: 1969-018D{{sfn|Orloff & Harland|p=227}}
}}
| SATCAT = {{Unbulleted list
  |CSM: 3769
  |LM: 3771
}}
| mission_duration = 10{{nbsp}}days, 1{{nbsp}}hour, 54{{nbsp}}seconds<ref name = "nasa nine" />
| orbits_completed = 151{{sfn|Orloff & Harland|p=230}}
| spacecraft = {{Unbulleted list
  |[[Command and service module|Apollo CSM]]-104
  |[[Apollo Lunar Module|Apollo LM]]-3
}}
| manufacturer = {{Unbulleted list
  |CSM: [[North American Rockwell]]
  |LM: [[Grumman]]
}}
| launch_mass = {{cvt|95231|lb}}<ref name="nasadatabook">[[#Ezell|Ezell 1988]], Table 2-37: [https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4012/vol3/table2.37.htm "Apollo 9 Characteristics"].</ref>
| landing_mass = {{cvt|11094|lb|kg}}
| launch_date = {{start-date|March 3, 1969, 16:00:00|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}[[UTC]]
| launch_rocket = [[Saturn V]] SA-504
| launch_site = [[Kennedy Space Center|Kennedy]], [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39|LC-39A]]
| landing_date = {{end-date|March 13, 1969, 17:00:54|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}UTC
| landing_site = North Atlantic Ocean<br />({{coord|23|15|N|67|56|W|type:event|name=Apollo 9 splashdown}})
| recovery_by = {{USS|Guadalcanal|LPH-7|6}}
| decay_date = {{nowrap|October 23, 1981 (LM ascent stage)}}
| orbit_epoch = March 5, 1969<ref name=satcat>{{cite web|last=McDowell|first=Jonathan|title=SATCAT|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt|publisher=Jonathan's Space Pages|access-date=March 23, 2014}}</ref>
| orbit_reference = [[geocentric orbit|Geocentric]]
| orbit_regime = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis = {{cvt|204|km|nmi mi}}
| orbit_apoapsis = {{cvt|497|km|nmi mi}}
| orbit_inclination = 33.8°
| orbit_period = 91.55{{nbsp}}minutes
| apsis = gee
| crew_size = 3
| crew_members = {{Unbulleted list
  |[[James McDivitt|James A. McDivitt]]
  |[[David Scott|David R. Scott]]
  |[[Rusty Schweickart|Russell L. Schweickart]]
}}
| crew_callsign = {{Unbulleted list
  |CSM: ''Gumdrop''
  |LM: ''Spider''
}}
| crew_EVAs = 1
| crew_EVA_duration = 1{{nbsp}}hour, 17{{nbsp}}seconds
| crew_photo = Apollo9 Prime Crew.jpg
| crew_photo_caption = Left to right: [[James McDivitt|McDivitt]], [[David Scott|Scott]], [[Rusty Schweickart|Schweickart]]
| crew_photo_size = 270px
| crew_photo_alt = Apollo 9 crew
| docking = {{Infobox spaceflight/Dock
   | docking_target     = LM
   | docking_type       = dock
   | docking_date       = March 3, 1969, 19:01:59{{nbsp}}UTC
   | undocking_date     = March 7, 1969, 12:39:06{{nbsp}}UTC
   | time_docked        =
 }}
 {{Infobox spaceflight/Dock
   | docking_target     = LM ascent stage
   | docking_type       = dock
   | docking_date       = March 7, 1969, 19:02:26{{nbsp}}UTC
   | undocking_date     = March 7, 1969, 21:22:45{{nbsp}}UTC
   | time_docked        =
 }}
| previous_mission = [[Apollo 8]]
| next_mission = [[Apollo 10]]
| programme = [[Apollo program]]
}}

'''Apollo 9''' (March 3–13, 1969) was the third [[human spaceflight]] in [[NASA]]'s [[Apollo program]], which successfully tested systems and procedures critical to landing on the Moon. The three-man crew consisted of Commander [[James McDivitt]], Command Module Pilot [[David Scott]], and Lunar Module Pilot [[Rusty Schweickart]]. Flown in [[low Earth orbit]], it was the second crewed Apollo mission that the United States launched via a [[Saturn V]] rocket, and was the first flight of the full [[Apollo (spacecraft)|Apollo spacecraft]]: the [[command and service module]] (CSM) with the [[Apollo Lunar Module|Lunar Module]] (LM).

The mission was flown to [[flight qualify|qualify]] the LM for lunar orbit operations in preparation for the first [[Moon landing]] by demonstrating its [[descent propulsion system|descent]] and [[ascent propulsion system]]s, showing that its crew could fly it independently, then [[space rendezvous|rendezvous]] and [[docking and berthing of spacecraft|dock]] with the CSM again, as would be required for [[Apollo 11|the first crewed lunar landing]]. Other objectives of the flight included firing the LM descent engine to propel the spacecraft stack as a backup mode (as was required on the [[Apollo 13]] mission), and use of the [[portable life support system]] backpack outside the LM cabin.

After launching on March 3, 1969, the crew performed the first crewed flight of a lunar module, the first docking and extraction of the same, one two-person [[Extra-vehicular activity|spacewalk]] (EVA), and the second docking of two crewed [[spacecraft]]—two months after the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] performed a spacewalk crew transfer between {{nowrap|[[Soyuz 4]]}} and {{nowrap|[[Soyuz 5]]}}. The mission concluded on March 13 and was a complete success. It proved the LM worthy of crewed spaceflight, setting the stage for the dress rehearsal for the lunar landing, [[Apollo 10]], before the ultimate goal, landing on the Moon.