Apollo 9 Safely Returns to Earth (1969)

Apollo 9 was the third manned mission in the Apollo program and consisted of a 10-day Earth-orbital mission. It was the second manned flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle and the first manned flight of the Apollo Lunar Module. During the mission, the crew tested a new spacesuit, which was the first to possess its own life support system. This meant that astronauts no longer had to rely on an umbilical connection to the spacecraft. Why did the crew name their command module "Gumdrop"? More...

it was named Gumdrop because Americans salivated over their space program.

We United Statesians are very proud of our space program, having accomplished things that no other nation has done, like lunar landings. Of course, none of this would have happened, or at least so quickly, if we had not brought a large number of German rocket scientists over at the end of World War II, utilizing their scientific knowledge and overlooking the harm they had inflicted during the war.

I just read a review of a new book about Operation Paperclip, and it is eye-opening.

We hardly do anymore. No particular goals right now. We have an interest in the ISS, but no way to get there, other than to ride with the Russians, whom we are threatening right now over Ukraine.