Immediately after splashdown, a restoration helicopter from the USS Guadalcanal hovers over the Apollo 9 spacecraft. Still contained in the Command Module are astronauts James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and Russell L. Schweickart. Splashdown occurred at 12:00:53 p.m. EST March 13, 1969, solely 4.5 nautical miles from the USS Guadalcanal, the prime restoration ship, to conclude a profitable 10-day Earth-orbital mission in area.
