Apollo 9 – Duet of Spider and Gumdrop part 1. Film length 11:53. 2 x 30 seconds licence fee per minute. A maximum of 24 times. Longer uses are discounted.
Apollo 9 – the duet of Spider and Gumdrop part 1 from zb Media Filmproduktion on Vimeo.
Apollo 9 – Duet of Spider and Gumdrop Part 1
Description
Apollo 9 – Duet of Spider and Gumdrop Part 1
This film offers an introspective look at the Apollo 9 astronauts before, during and after their orbital mission. The footage shows the training, the launch and flight of the command centre (Gumdrop) and the lunar module (Spider) as well as the return and recovery of the crew. The slow-motion shots of the astronauts before the launch are accompanied by the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine”. The spiritual relationship between pop culture and the moon landing project is also expressed in the names of the spaceships “Spider” and “Gumdrop”. The material was scanned in full HD and digitally restored. The first part of the film shows the preparations for the flight. With Apollo 9, NASA tested the lunar module “Spider” in orbit around the Earth for the first time. The undocking and docking of the lunar module “Gumdrop” with the mother ship was rehearsed. The second part of the film shows the launch and return of the astronauts.
Historical context
Apollo 9 was the third manned mission in NASA’s Apollo programme and the first in which the lunar module was tested in space. It was launched on 3 March 1969 and consisted of commander James McDivitt, command module pilot David Scott and lunar module pilot Rusty Schweickart.
The main objectives of Apollo 9 were to test the lunar module systems and to rendezvous and dock with the command module in Earth orbit. During the mission, the lunar module named “Spider” separated from the command module named “Gumdrop” and performed various manoeuvres, including a test to separate the descent and ascent stages. This demonstrated the module’s ability to operate in space and rendezvous and dock with the command module.
Apollo 9 lasted 10 days, during which the crew orbited the Earth 151 times, covering over 6.3 million kilometres. The mission was a crucial step towards NASA’s goal of landing astronauts on the moon before the end of the 1960s and provided valuable data and experience for subsequent lunar missions, including the historic Apollo 11 moon landing in the same year.
