A step toward landing on the Moon. 55 years ago today, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart floated out of the lunar module orbiting Earth to do a test vital to the success of the Apollo 11 mission four months later: he was testing the 81-pound (37-kg) spacesuit and life support backpack that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would wear when they stepped out onto the Moon’s surface on July 20, 1969. Jim McDivitt took this photo from inside the lunar module while Dave Scott remained at the controls of the command module. Image description: Astronaut Rusty Schweickart is illuminated by the sun as he stands on the porch of the lunar module wearing the Apollo lunar spacesuit and Portable Life Support System. Behind him is the blackness of space with a tiny portion of the Earth appearing in the lower left-hand corner. He reaches out one gloved hand. This photo was taken through the window of the Apollo 9 Lunar Module, nicknamed “Spider,” by Jim McDivitt on March 6, 1969. Credit: NASA #...