Apollo 11 Original Moon landing
The
race to the Moon:
Not because it was easy but because it was
hard
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On July 20, 1969, the United States won the Moon Race. Apollo 11 became the first crewed mission to land on the Moon.
Apollo 11 launched on a Saturn V rocket from Cape Canaveral on July 16, and the lunar module landed four days later
Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin made up the three-person crew
Neil Armstrong
Age: 38
Height: 5'9"
Military affiliation: Civilian
Michael Collins
Age: 38
Height: 5'9"
Military branch:
U.S. Air Force
Age: 39
Height: 5'8"
Military branch:
U.S. Air Force
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin
All three had been in space previously
Armstrong Gemini VIII, 10 hours,
41 minutes,
no spacewalk
Collins Gemini X, 2 days, 22 hours,
46
minutes, 2 spacewalks
Aldrin Gemini XII, 3 days, 22 hours,
42
minutes, 3 spacewalks
The Apollo 11 spacecraft was made up of three parts:
Served as the mission’s command post and orbiting mothership
Carried Armstrong and Aldrin from lunar orbit to the Moon and back again
Provided the command module with water, oxygen, and electricity and contained the engine to get the spacecraft in and out of lunar orbit
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Six hours after landing, Neil Armstrong became the first human ever to walk on the dusty surface of the Moon
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Nineteen minutes later, his crewmate, Buzz Aldrin, was the second person to climb down the ladder from the lunar module and stand firmly on the Moon
Meanwhile, pilot Michael Collins orbited the Moon alone for 27 hours (14 times) in the command module
Losing contact with Earth for 47 minutes during each orbit
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In their two-hour Moonwalk, Armstrong and Aldrin set up experiments, took photos, planted the American flag, and collected 21.7 kg of rock and soil samples to bring home
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After completing the mission, the command module splashed down into the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 812 nautical miles southwest of Hawaii
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Nearby, the United States Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Hornet was waiting to receive the astronauts
Since no one could be sure there was no life or germs on the Moon, the astronauts were kept in strict quarantine for 21 days after returning to Earth
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They were then given a heroes’ welcome with traditional ticker-tape parades in New York City, Houston, and Chicago