NASA astronaut Jim McDivitt’s handwritten notes for the Apollo 9 mission, unsigned, annotated in pencil on three off-white 4 x 6 sheets, which seem to comprise a portion of a speech or various talking points for a preflight press conference. The first sheet, headed “Opening,” reads: “Texas story, Add 2nd story / Outline of talk-explain types of flights / Refer to models / “ to Apollo 9 crew / show slides and explain what is taking place at the time / Tell purpose of Apollo 9 flight / Thanks for help to Op. Gen. Pers.” On the second sheet, McDivitt refers to the first five days of the Apollo 9 mission and adds a small sketch of a docked CSM and LM: “1-Launch, Docking & Ejection, Restart S-IVB & discard, Star check, Sextant calib. Sleep-9 hours-9 pm to 6 am, Eat / 2-SPS-Burn 1, Alignment with SPS Burns 2 and 3, Check all equipment 9 hours / 3-Prepare for pressurization of LM, clear tunnel, 9 hours / 4-Activate LM, EVA photos, Check all equipment, 6 hours / 5-Rendezvous Navigation, Staging & Burn, test all engines, Docking & Undocking with CSM, 8 hours.” The third sheet is headed “Weight,” and reads: “Apollo—12,500 lbs, Service Mod.—55,000 lbs, LM—32,000 lbs / 99,500 lbs—365 FT (S-5), 48 Tons.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a NASA/Grumman press kit for the Apollo Lunar Module, which contains various LM-related information packets, four glossy NASA photos, and an “Apollo 9 Summary Flight Plan (D Mission)” chart. Accompanied by a letter of provenance stating that the handwritten notes (or cue cards) were purchased at the McDivitt family estate sale held in Tucson, Arizona, on April 1, 2022.
