S69-27920 (13 March 1969) --- The Apollo 9 crew men walk on a red carpet after arriving aboard the prime recovery ship, USS Guadalcanal. Left to right, are astronauts Russell L. Schweickart, David R. Scott, and James A. McDivitt. They are walking from the recovery helicopter which picked them up from the splashdown area. Splashdown occurred at 12:00:53 p.m. (EST), March 13, 1969, only 4.5 nautical miles from the USS Guadalcanal to conclude a successful 10-day Earth-orbital space mission.