Notes (Remembering Spider and Gumdrop)

-Spider was Apollo 9's Lunar Excursion Module (LEM).
-Gumdrop was the Command Module (CM)
-Crew-Russell Schweickart, Pilot of LEM. David Scott, Pilot of CM. James McDivitt, Commander.
-Most complex space mission to that date.
-Purpose was to prove that landing on the moon could be done.
-Gumdrop had to separate from the rocket, turn around, and extract the LEM from it's housing inside the rocket.
-On day three of the mission, Schweickart and McDivitt moved through the tunnel and into the Lunar Module.
-On day four, they donned pressure suits for Schweickart's Spacewalk on the outside of the Lunar module.
-David Scott simultaneously opened the hatch on the CM, just a few feet away from Schweickart.
-On day five, McDivitt and Schweickart test fly the Spider, by undocking and flying one hundred miles away from Gumdrop, then piloting Spider back to Gumdrop and Re-docking.
-Spider descended to just 86 miles above the earths surface and jettisoned the launch platform that would be left on the moon had it not been a test flight.
-The docking was successful. It was critical to dock because the LEM does not have a heat shield and therefore cannot return safely to earth.
-The Spider was then Launched away from Gumdrop, which held the three astronauts.
-The final five days were of great value to the scientific community as they were spent taking photographs from high earth orbit.
-The mission was completed without further complication.