Payload Blog

Landed! Apollo Lunar Module 9


This summer, you will get a closer look at Lunar Module 9 (LM-9), one of only three remaining Lunar Modules designed for mission use during NASA’s Apollo Program. Previously suspended from the ceiling, the relocation of the module is part of an exciting initiative to rededicate the Apollo/Saturn V Center as Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex gears up for the 50th anniversary celebration of Apollo 11, the first crewed Moon landing. Watch the LM-9 come in for a landing before it moves to its new home:


Some more interesting facts about the LM-9 you can see at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex:

  • Originally intended to fly on Apollo 15, LM-9 was replaced with an Extended Lunar Module when the Lunar Rover was added to the mission.

  • It is only one of three remaining numbered LM's designed for mission usage.

  • This is what a flight-ready LM looks like. It was completely re-furbished in 2017 with new mylar and kapton on exterior surfaces and landing feet.

  • LM-9 is on permanent loan from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.


Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot for the Apollo program, egresses the Lunar Module (LM) 'Eagle' and begins to descend the steps of the LM ladder as he prepares to walk on the moon.
Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot, egresses the Lunar Module (LM) "Eagle" and begins to descend the steps of the LM ladder as he prepares to walk on the moon. This photograph was taken by astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, with a 70mm lunar surface camera during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA).



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