Gene Kranz's personally-owned and -used Apollo 9 binder containing three extensive official NASA-printed manuals: Final Flight Mission Rules (revision B), December 15, 1968, as prepared by the Flight Control Division; Flight Mission Rule Rationale Document, December 15, 1968, coordinated and published by the Flight Control Operations Branch; and a stapled Flight Operations Plan, Mission D, August 23, 1968, prepared by the Flight Operations Directorate. The binder, which measures 9 x 11.5 x 3.5, is labeled on the front cover, "Apollo 9, Mission Rules, Mission Rule Rationale, Flight Operations Plan," and marked "Apollo 9/1, 1-4-5," with textblock annotated in felt tip, "Apollo 9" and "D FOP." The opening "Flight Mission Rules" manual consists of various procedural statements which provide flight control personnel with guidelines to expedite the decision-making process. The mission rules are based on an analysis of mission equipment configuration, systems operations and constraints, flight crew procedures, and mission objectives. The director of the flight operations, Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, has the overall responsibility for the preparation, contents, and control of the flight mission rules. The "Flight Mission Rule Rationale" manual, marked "Kranz" in pencil on the cover page, is a complementary document to the preceding Flight Mission Rules manual, which collates by mission rule number, pertinent information relating to each rule. It is a collection of history, rationale and support data to describe or justify each supported mission rule. The manual contains explanatory data that allows the mission rules to be simple statements of conditions/malfunctions and a brief resultant action rather than lengthy procedural descriptions. The rationale also provides a documented compilation of system data pertinent to non-nominal situations or alternate mission plans. The concluding "Flight Operations Plan" manual was compiled to describe the manner in which the Flight Operations Directorate plans to support and conduct the mission in order to accomplish objectives established by the Office of Manned Space Flight and the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office Mission Requirements Document. It is intended to present an overall plan of the manner in which the mission is to be supported and conducted. In fine condition, with expected wear from use.
