Capt. Russell 'Rusty' Schweikart, USAF, Air National Guard, NASA, Apollo 9

Veterans Chronicles

Russell "Rusty" Schweikart grew up with a great interest in aviation and watching the planes fly around Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. So it was no surprise when he joined the U.S. Air Force and was trained as a fighter pilot. He later joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard. But in 1963, he was selected as a NASA astronaut and was soon on track to be part of the Apollo program to fulfill President John F. Kennedy's vision of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.
In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles, Capt. Schweikart takes us through his days in the Air Force and Air National Guard. He also details the moment in a cafeteria that he decided to pursue becoming an astronaut and the training he went through to prepare for space. Schweikart also walks us through the dark days following the deadly Apollo 1 fire that killed Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee in 1967 and the changes that were made as a result.
Finally, Schweikart takes us step by step through his Apollo 9 mission, the testing of the lunar module and Apollo space suits, and the mesmerizing moments of looking back towards Earth during the first-ever Apollo spacewalk.