Editing Apollo 9 (section)

== Planning and training ==
[[File:McDivitt, Scott and Schweickart in preliminary training for Apollo AS-258 mission.jpg|thumb|alt=Apollo command module with men inside|McDivitt, Scott, and Schweickart train for the AS-205/208 mission in the first Block II spacecraft and space suits, which still had most of the fire hazards the Apollo{{nbsp}}1 spacecraft had.]]

Apollo 9's main purpose was to qualify the LM for crewed lunar flight, demonstrating that it could perform the maneuvers in space that would be needed for a lunar landing, including docking with the CSM.{{sfn|Mission Report|p=3-2}} [[Colin Burgess (author)|Colin Burgess]] and [[Francis French (author)|Francis French]], in their book about the Apollo Program, deemed McDivitt's crew among the best trained ever—they had worked together since January 1966, at first as backups for Apollo 1, and they always had the assignment of being the first to fly the LM. Flight Director Gene Kranz deemed the Apollo{{nbsp}}9 crew the best prepared for their mission, and felt Scott was an extremely knowledgeable CMP.{{sfn|French & Burgess|p=330}} Crew members underwent 1,800 hours of mission-specific training, about seven hours for every hour they would spend in flight. Their training started on the day before the Apollo{{nbsp}}1 fire, in the very first Block II spacecraft in which they were originally intended to fly. They took part in the vehicle checkouts for the CSM at [[North American Rockwell]]'s facility in [[Downey, California]], and for the LM at [[Grumman]]'s plant in [[Bethpage, New York]]. They also participated in testing of the modules at the launch site.{{sfn|Press Kit|p=83}}

Among the types of the training which the crew underwent were simulations of [[zero-G]], both underwater and in the [[Vomit Comet]]. During these exercises, they practiced for the planned extravehicular activities (EVAs). They traveled to [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], for training on the [[Apollo Guidance Computer]] (AGC) at [[MIT]]. The crew studied the sky at the [[Morehead Planetarium]] and at the [[Griffith Planetarium]], especially focusing on the 37 stars used by the AGC. They each spent more than 300 hours in the CM and LM simulators at [[Kennedy Space Center]] (KSC) and at Houston, some involving live participation by Mission Control. Additional time was spent in simulators in other locations.{{sfn|Press Kit|pp=83–84}}

[[File:Aerial view of the Apollo 9 space vehicle on the way from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad A.jpg|thumb|alt=A large rocket being moved by crawler|The launch vehicle for Apollo{{nbsp}}9 being taken to Pad 39A]]

The first mission to use the CSM, the LM and a Saturn{{nbsp}}V, Apollo{{nbsp}}9 allowed the launch preparations team at KSC its first opportunity to simulate the launch of a lunar landing mission. The LM arrived from Grumman in June 1968 and was subjected to extensive testing including in the altitude chamber, simulating space conditions. As this occurred, other technicians assembled the Saturn{{nbsp}}V inside the [[Vehicle Assembly Building]] (VAB). The CM and SM arrived in October, but even the experienced KSC team from North American had trouble joining them together. When the lander was done with the altitude chamber, the CSM took its place, letting the LM be available for installation of equipment such as rendezvous radar and antennas. There were no lengthy delays, and on January 3, 1969, the launch vehicle was taken out of the VAB and moved to [[Launch Complex 39]]A by crawler. Flight readiness reviews for the CM, the LM, and the Saturn{{nbsp}}V were held and passed in the following weeks.<ref name="chariots_double">[[#Brooks, et al.|Brooks, et al. 1979]], Chapter 12.3: [https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch12-3.html "A double workload"] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316180647/https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/ch12-3.html |date=March 16, 2021 }})</ref>