Apollo 11 was an historic United States spaceflight which successfully sent humans to land on the moon. This mission marked an achievement in their national mission of outpacing Soviet Russia in space exploration.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history when they transitioned from their command module Columbia into Eagle, then fired its engine for powered descent.
What were the main objectives of the Apollo 11 mission?
Apollo 11 set out with a mission goal set forth by President John F Kennedy in 1961: landing and returning safely a manned spacecraft from the lunar surface and back to Earth. On July 20, 1969, this goal was met when astronaut Neil Armstrong set foot onto lunar surface and said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!” Additionally, samples from the Moon were returned so as to increase knowledge about its composition and history.
The Apollo program was intended to advance human spaceflight at an unprecedented rate. The first crewed flight took place in 1968, and over six missions totaling 12 astronauts landed on the lunar surface – both times expensive and controversial – marking an important step forward for space travel development.
NASA developed advanced spacecraft systems and navigation techniques in order to approach, orbit and land on the Moon. Their Apollo 8 mission, including Bill Anders’ famous Earthrise photograph, showcased these new technologies.
On the final Apollo 11 mission, Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin made their journey from CSM to Moon in their lunar module “Columbia”, and carried out numerous experiments such as Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) including heat flow experiments, seismic profiling analysis, and surface gravity measurements.
The astronauts then collected the Lunar Module and its payload and returned to Collins in his command module, with Armstrong making a tape recording detailing his experience on the Moon while broadcasting images to television worldwide. Apollo 11 marked a major victory for America and cemented its status as an global superpower.
Who were the astronauts?
The Apollo 11 crew consisted of Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins. Their Saturn V launch occurred on July 16, 1969. Three days after entering an initial lunar orbit they underwent another engine burn before commencing descent toward the Moon.
Once they reached the Moon, astronauts quickly opened up the lunar module hatch and made their first moonwalk of over two hours on its surface. Their mission consisted of installing and testing various experiments – such as seismographs for measuring “moonquakes”) as well as collecting soil samples and rocks – while photographing both their surroundings as well as both lunar modules with still and motion picture cameras.
Armstrong made headlines around the globe when he first set foot on the lunar surface and declared, “One small step for man, one giant leap for humanity”. These words became an international media event.
Armstrong and Aldrin left the Moon after just over two hours, climbing back into their lunar module before joining Collins in the command module and firing their service module’s engines at 23:41 UTC (9:41 pm ET) to depart lunar orbit, jettisoning the lunar module in the process.
After being quarantined for 21 days to eliminate any lunar pathogens, Apollo 11 astronauts were flown back to Houston’s Manned Spacecraft Center where they received a heroes’ welcome in parades across America and an international tour. Most Apollo 11 astronauts later led further space flights; two served as commanders of Skylab while others went on orbital Space Shuttle missions.
What happened during the Apollo 11 mission?
NASA was determined to outshone the Soviets in the race to the moon. To this end, it invested massive sums of money in assembling a powerful rocket – Saturn V – with lunar module and command module attachments so three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins could travel there by themselves, orbit it for 24 hours before landing there on lunar surface.
On July 16, 1969, three astronauts launched from Cape Kennedy and separated from the command module after several days in Earth orbit. By July 20, they had successfully reached lunar surface where they called it Sea of Tranquility – watched by an estimated global audience of approximately 650 Million viewers around the globe.
After inspecting Eagle, Armstrong and Aldrin prepared for their inaugural moonwalk. Following an 18 hour and 31 minute excursion they returned to Eagle with 226.6 kilograms of samples collected, as well as having deployed seismometer and laser retroreflector instruments that enabled precise distance measurements between Earth and moon. Furthermore they left behind a 1.5 inch silicon disk bearing goodwill messages from 73 countries along with congressional leaders from NASA as well as congressional members themselves.
On their return journey, astronauts docked with Columbia after wearing biological isolation garments to reduce any possibility of contamination from lunar environments. Iodine rubdown was performed before they were airlifted by helicopter to recovery ship U.S.S. Hornet for 21-day quarantine before celebrations took place in their hometowns and around the globe.
What were the infamous words said?
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong made history when he became the first human to land on the moon. Millions watched worldwide as he emerged from Lunar Module Eagle and spoke his iconic lines: “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”
The Sea of Tranquility is the lowest point on the lunar surface and marked the site for landing. After ten minutes of fast-paced action aboard their spacecraft, astronauts emerged to walk across its dusty surface before leaving footprints behind that can still be seen today.
After returning home, President Richard Nixon gave them a warm welcome home before they were placed into mobile quarantine to recover. Later they were met by thousands of cheering fans in Washington D.C.
Armstrong and Aldrin were honored with medals from President Obama for their accomplishments, while being given time to experience all that their home nation offered them. Furthermore, a tour was provided of the White House by our leader himself.
After Apollo 11 returned to Earth, another manned mission was set into motion. Again under Armstrong’s leadership was launched this time with astronauts Michael Collins (Command Module pilot) and Buzz Aldrin (Lunar Module pilot). This mission marked the final mission to the moon before space shuttle program retirement; also, this record-setting journey lasted 24 days- more than double previous records!
What happened after the Apollo 11 mission?
Once they had made a safe landing, the astronauts headed outside to collect samples and photograph the lunar surface. Although only spending 2.5 hours out there initially, this mission served as an important precursor for longer and more adventurous missions to come in future missions.
On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon, taking photos, collecting rock samples and depositing an American flag before communicating with President Nixon, who watched their mission unfold on TV. Following their exploration, Armstrong and Aldrin returned to Eagle and entered Columbia as their command module.
They began deliberating whether they should stay or leave. There were technical considerations that argued for immediate departure; for example, any major problems with the Lunar Module (LM) while on the surface might prevent their ability to get back into orbit and rescue was unlikely if they became stuck there; they needed to leave as soon as they could to return safely home.
One intriguing note: Before the launch of LM, Armstrong intentionally left its computer running as part of an experiment designed to determine its limits beyond their design specifications. Mission Control monitored telemetry from this experiment and found that both computers functioned perfectly past any expected limits set forth.
Apollo 11 mission, lasting about eight days, marked America as a global leader in space technology while showing humans could safely explore other planets. For their accomplishments, the astronauts received many honors including being honored with induction into the National Hall of Fame.