Apollo 9: Three to Make Ready (1969)

Duration: 17:26

Year Published: 1969

Format: 16mm

Sound: sound

Description: While Apollo 8 paved the way to the Moon, one more craft vital to a successful lunar landing had yet to be tested in space, the Lunar Module (LM), and this became the primary focus of the Apollo 9 mission. Among the objectives included testing of the LM’s descent engine, extravehicular activity using the same type of suit that would be worn on the surface of the Moon, and the rendezvous and docking procedure between the LM and Command Module. Using a fair amount of metaphor comparing the performance of mission objectives to symphonies and ballets (paired with classical music as the soundtrack), this government film takes us through each objective, with discussion between mission control in Houston and the astronauts as they are accomplished.