Apollo 10’s crew made history, yet their mission was only meant as a dress rehearsal for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s epic landing on Apollo 11. While astronaut John Young remained in his command module, Stafford and Cernan disembarked from the Lunar Module (LM) and descended to just above the Moon. It was a dress…
The Postal Service recently unveiled two forever stamps commemorating Apollo 11. One shows a photograph taken by Neil Armstrong of Buzz Aldrin while another features an image of the moon with a dot representing where Apollo 11’s lunar module “Eagle” landed in the Sea of Tranquility. The First Man on the Moon Neil Armstrong became…
After 50 years have passed since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first set foot on the moon, it can be easy to forget just how expensive their accomplishment was. According to The Planetary Society, Project Apollo alone required $25.8 billion (in today’s dollars). That price tag still baffles, particularly considering NASA’s current budget constraints. Cost…
Nations around the globe tailor their space exploration missions to reflect wider national interests, with France targeting scientific goals; Russia looking to further extend their global predominance; and China hoping to displace America as technological leader. NASA’s Artemis project follows suit; its inaugural launch, set for 2024, will send an uncrewed Orion capsule past the…
As Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s Apollo 11 rocketed away, an eager crowd watched it lift off at Cape Kennedy. Following four hours of restful flight time, their astronauts started their first lunar excursion mission. Science experiments that measured the composition of solar wind were employed, as well as a laser reflector to identify our…
Apollo astronauts had successfully explored and collected rocks that are still used by scientists today; but NASA managers knew this program could no longer continue. NASA Administrator Thomas Paine had to make some hard choices due to tightened budgets and decisions taken over the last two years. Politics The Apollo program was an ambitious undertaking…
Armstrong and Aldrin unlocked the hatch and exited the LM. They took photos, planted a flag, performed some scientific tests and also called Houston and President Nixon from orbit. Armstrong famously declared “One small step for man, one giant leap for humanity” while taking his initial steps on the moon – but was it said…
This PowerPoint presentation includes ten slides of information about the Apollo 11 moon landing. This resource can be used for whole-class, small group, or independent activities. After returning to the LM, Armstrong and Aldrin engaged its propulsion system to shift from their near circular orbit into an elliptical one before initiating their powered descent initiation…
The Saturn V rocket safely transported Apollo 11’s lunar module Eagle with Commander Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin on board to the moon for their successful moon landing. Armstrong and Aldrin used Eagle’s ascent stage to rejoin Collins before departing lunar orbit and heading back towards Earth using Eagle’s ascent stage…
