187. [Apollo 9] THE FIRST DOCKING OF THE CSM AND LM-SIVB ABOVE EARTH Russell Schweickart, David Scott or James McDivitt, 3-13 March 1969 Printed 1969. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS9-19-2933]. Numbered "NASA image AS9-19-2933" in red in the top margin, with "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 25.4 x 20.3 cm. (10 x 8 in.) Historical context This historic Apollo 9 photograph captures the first-ever docking of a Command and Service Module (CSM) with a Lunar Module (LM). In this breathtaking image, taken from CSM Gumdrop, the docked LM Spider remains nestled inside the S-IVB third stage, floating against the deep blackness of space with Earth's blue expanse below. The Spacecraft LM Adapter (SLA) panels, which protected the LM during launch, have already been jettisoned, exposing the delicate yet complex structure of the lunar lander.