This week in 1969, Apollo 9 splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean following a successful 10-day mission. Here, the docked Apollo 9 command and service module and lunar module can be seen during astronaut David R. Scott’s stand-up spacewalk on the fourth flight day of the mission. The primary objective of Apollo 9 was an Earth-orbital engineering test of the first crewed lunar module. Other prime objectives included an overall checkout of rocket and spacecraft systems, the crew and procedures. The flight plan’s top priority was rendezvous and docking of the command and service module and the lunar module. All prime mission objectives were accomplished and all major spacecraft systems were successfully demonstrated. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. (NASA)