Apollo 11 Moon landing
A job for
brave heroes:
The three people who went to the Moon on Apollo
11
Three astronauts made up the crew of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr.
Primary role Ensured overall Apollo 11 mission success, the safety of the crew, and command of the spacecraft during launch, landing on the lunar surface, and the ascent back to lunar orbit
Primary role Monitored the lunar module systems during the lunar landing, operated the guidance computer, and supported the mission commander as he piloted the spacecraft
Primary role Monitored the command and service module systems, navigated the spacecraft, docked the lunar module and command module, and carried out tasks in lunar orbit while crewmates were on the surface of the Moon
The mission included an entire backup crew, ready to step in if needed: Commander James A. Lovell, Command Module Pilot William A. Anders, and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise
Four astronauts took shifts as the capsule communicator, or CapCom. The only person in Mission Control who spoke directly to the crew, the CapCom was both a familiar voice and an experienced astronaut.
During the Apollo 11 lunar landing
While Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon and Collins was in lunar orbit
For the launch of the lunar module back into orbit
During critical docking maneuvers
All of these astronauts had been through difficult and intense training, often over many years, to prepare for this mission
NASA began recruiting astronauts in 1959. The selection process wasn’t easy. Neither Michael Collins nor Buzz Aldrin was accepted on his first application.