Where it all began
The proposal
Picking the crew
Neil Armstrong
Commander Age when Apollo 11 launched: 38 Armstrong previously piloted Gemini 8, making him the first American civilian to be involved in two American Space missions. Michael Collins Lunar Module Pilot Age when Apollo 11 launched: 39 Collins, before the Apollo 11 mission piloted Gemini 12. Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Command Module Pilot Age when Apollo 11 launched: 38 Buzz gained his experience as an astronaut from piloting Gemini 10. |
The mission
The Launch
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Hundreds gathered to watch the launching of Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969. The shuttle left the Earth at approximately 9:32 a.m. (EDT) from the Kennedy Space Center, carrying Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin.
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The landing
Four days after the initial launch of Apollo 11 (July 20, 1969), Armstrong and Aldrin left Collins in the Command Service Module (The Columbia) and entered the Lunar Module (The Eagle) to prepare to separate. The Eagle was designed to take the two astronauts to the lunar surface. It featured a descent engine, foot pads, a ladder and an accent engine, as well as room for the two astronauts. The descent engine prevented The Eagle from crashing into the moon and allowed Armstrong and Aldrin to land softly and safely on the lunar surface. The foot pads provided stability to the module when on the lunar surface. The ladder allowed Armstrong and Aldrin to descend from the module and walk on the moon. An ascent engine was a valuable part of The Eagle, as it allowed the module to launch from the moon to head back to Earth. During their descent to the moon, it was Armstrong's main responsibility to fly The Eagle during the final stages of landing. While Armstrong flew the module, Aldrin monitored the speed and altitude, making sure that everything was on track.
After much research and planning, it was predetermined that the Eagle would land on the "Sea of Tranquility." On July 20, 1969 at 4:17 p.m. (EDT), approximately 102 hours and 45 minutes into the mission, The Eagle landed on the lunar surface.
After much research and planning, it was predetermined that the Eagle would land on the "Sea of Tranquility." On July 20, 1969 at 4:17 p.m. (EDT), approximately 102 hours and 45 minutes into the mission, The Eagle landed on the lunar surface.
on the moon
After The Eagle had landed on the Sea of Tranquility, Aldrin and Armstrong were required to do inspections for two hours before they could leave the module. At approximately 11:56 p.m. (EDT) Neil Armstrong descended the ladder to the lunar surface and uttered the famous words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Twenty minutes after Armstrong descended to the moon, Aldrin joined him. Together, they collected samples of the moon's surface and explored various craters and features about the lunar surface.
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Aldrin and Armstrong left their mark on the lunar surface with this plaque. It reads "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind" with the signatures of the entire crew, as well as President Nixon.
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Heading home
After spending approximately 21 hours on the surface of the moon, it was time for the astronauts to head back home to Earth. After leaving the lunar surface, the Eagle flew to where Collins was orbiting the moon in The Columbia, reconnected, and started their journey back to the home planet. On July 24, 1969 Apollo 11 landed safely in the Pacific Ocean will all crew members unharmed. Thus Kennedy's goal of successfully sending a person to the moon and returning them home safely within the decade had been met.
Accomplishments
Aside from meeting Kennedy's main goal of a successful moon landing within the decade, Apollo 11 managed to successfully meet his other goals as well. While on the lunar surface, Armstrong and Aldrin successfully gathered almost 48 lbs worth of samples to take back to Earth to research. As one can tell based on the video of Armstrong's first steps on the moon, the team was also successful in transmitting television camera signals to Earth. All around, Apollo 11 was a very successful mission. To this day two years after Armstrong's death, Apollo 11 is still known as his biggest accomplishment of his lifetime. This mission is what made the name Neil Armstrong famous.