240 a
Russell Schweickart, or James McDivitt

The LM Spider stowed in the Saturn SIVB third stage after separation from the Command Module in Earth orbit

Apollo 9, March 3-13, 1969, orbit 2

Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso (NASA / North American Rockwell) [NASA AS9-19-2919]

240 b
Russell Schweickart, or James McDivitt

The LM Spider attached to the Saturn SIVB third stage before docking with the Command Module over the Earth

Apollo 9, March 3-13, 1969, orbit 2

Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso, numbered “NASA AS9-19- 2925” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin

240 c
Russell Schweickart, or James McDivitt

Jettison of the Saturn SIVB third stage over the Earth

Apollo 9, March 3-13, 1969, orbit 3

One vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with NASA HQ caption numbered “AS9-12-2942” on the verso; and one vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in), with “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso, numbered "NASA AS9-19-2946” (NASA MSC) in red in top margin

20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)

240 a
Reynolds, pp. 124-125.

240 b
Jacobs, p. 40.

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Lot Essay

240 a
The CSM Gumdrop revolved to examine the LM Spider, still attached to its garage atop the Saturn third stage (SIVB) following the first Apollo CSM/ LM-SIVB separation and prior to LM extraction from the SIVB. The Spacecraft LM Adapter (SLA) panels which protected the LM during launch and connected the CSM to the Saturn launch vehicle have already been jettisoned.

From the mission transcript after CSM/LM-SIVB separation:

002:41:12 Schweickart: Okay. 3, 2, 1 - Bang! It’s gone. [...]
002:42:14 Schweickart: Hey, David, there goes the (garbled) on the panel. See it?
002:42:18 Scott: Yes.
002:42:19 McDivitt: Man, look at that son of a gun go!
002:42:20 Schweickart: Okay, Dave, (garbled) is just beautiful. Just halfway around. Okay, just right there, Davey. Just leave it like it is (garbled) nice and bright there. [...]
002:42:40 McDivitt: Is the camera running?
002:42:42 Schweickart: Turn it on! [...]
002:43:23 Scott: Well, our pitch angle isn’t exactly right - it doesn’t look right.
002:43:27 McDivitt: Okay.
002:43:31 Schweickart: That’s alright; we’re going to fly around a little bit, Dave. [...]
002:43:54 Scott: Roger. It (the LM-SIVB)’s out there, and we’re turned around and proceeding with the station-keeping and docking.

240 b
After separation of the CSM Gumdrop from the SIVB third stage in Earth orbit and jettison of the SLA’s LM protective panels, the CSM was to perform the first docking with the exposed LM in order to withdraw it from its shell.

From the mission transcript before docking with the LM:

002:58:02 Schweickart: Well, that’s looking beautiful, David. I’m going to start the camera again. Well, I’ll wait for a minute here. [...]
002:58:34 Schweickart: Roger, Houston. We are about 25 feet now and closing slowly.
002:58:41 Roosa (Mission Control): Copy.
002:58:51 Schweickart: That looks beautiful, Dave. [...]
003:01:15 Scott: It’s damped good, Jim. I want to get it lined up. Rusty, I want you to get 12 latches. Now we’re coming. Patience.
003:01:25 McDivitt: Yes. We’ll do it when you’re ready, David. [...]
003:02:00 McDivitt: Come on, baby.
003:02:02 Scott: We’re coming. [...]
003:02:07 Scott: Alright, Houston; we’re hard docked.

240 c
After docking with the LM-SIVB, the crew “performed for the first time the tricky maneuver of withdrawing the LM from the adapter on the Saturn booster’s third stage, where it had been sheltered during launch” (Mason, p. 152).

Following extraction, the Apollo 9 spacecraft was “to adjust its orbit 2,000 feet away from the S-IVB stage. The S-IVB engine was then to restart twice, placing the stage in an Earth-escape trajectory and into solar orbit. This would simulate a translunar injection of the stage for Apollo 10 and subsequent lunar missions” (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo9.html).

The photographs (the first originally shot on color film) show the SIVB stage over the Pacific Ocean. A LM thruster quad and an antenna can be seen in the foreground.

From the mission transcript following jettison of the SIVB stage:

004:10:43 McDivitt: She’s right out there (the SIVB).
004:10:46 Scott: She sure is.
004:10:49 McDivitt: Heck, we’re going away from it, Dave. Good. [...]
004:11:45 Scott: We’re in good shape on the controls; we’re in minimum impulse, and we’re stable. [...]
004:11:51 McDivitt: Give me the Hasselblad, Rusty. [...]
004:11:54 Schweickart: Okay, here you go. Should be all set up, Jim. [...]
004:13:34 Schweickart: God, that’s beautiful! Could you see him real well, Jim? Because - He’s right out in front of me.