195. [Apollo 9] SPACE PORTRAIT: David Scott gazing into space aboard CSM Gumdrop, shielding his eyes from the Sun Russell Schweickart, March 3-13, 1969 Printed 1969. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS9-23-3596]. Numbered "NASA AS9-23-3596" in red in the top margin, with "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context This evocative photograph captures David Scott aboard CSM Gumdrop. In the cheerful mood prevailing when the three crew members were back together, Dave Scott mugs for Rusty Schweickart's camera. Here he shows how he, when alone in the command module, had had to peer against the glare to catch his first glimpse of the LM as it flew back in rendezvous. As the first astronaut to pilot the Apollo Command Module independently, Scott was responsible for navigating and maintaining Gumdrop while his crewmates, James McDivitt and Russell Schweickart, tested the Lunar Module. With his headset in place, Scott's expression reflects both the quiet concentration necessitated by the complexities of spaceflight and the awe of witnessing the cosmos firsthand. This image serves as a powerful reminder of Apollo 9's crucial role in validating the systems and procedures that would soon take astronauts beyond Earth orbit, leading directly to Apollo 10 and the first lunar landing with Apollo 11.