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Apollo 11

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Apollo 11
Mission Insignia
Apollo 11 insignia
Apollo 11 insignia
Mission Statistics
Mission Name: Apollo 11
Call Sign: Command module:
Columbia
Lunar module:
Eagle
Number of
Crew:		 3
Launch: July 16, 1969
13:32:00 UTC
Kennedy Space Center
LC 39A
Lunar Landing: July 20, 1969
20:17:40 UTC
0° 40' 26.69" N,
23° 28' 22.69" E
Mare Tranquillitatis
(Sea of Tranquility)
Lunar EVA
length:		 2 h 31 min 40 s
Lunar Surface
Time:		 21 h 36 min 20 s
Lunar Sample
Mass:		 21.55 kg
Landing: July 24, 1969
16:50:35 UTC
13° 19' N — 169° 9' W
Duration: 195 h 18 min 35 s
Number of
Lunar Orbits:		 30
Time in
Lunar Orbit:		 59 h 30 min 25.79 s
Mass: CSM 28,807 kg;
LM 15,103 kg
Crew Picture
Apollo 11 crew portrait (L-R: Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin)
Apollo 11 crew portrait (L-R: Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin)

L-R: Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin
Apollo 11 Crew

The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned lunar landing. It was the fifth manned mission in the Apollo program.

That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.

―Neil Armstrong

The mission was launched on July 16, 1969 with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. On July 20, Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon, followed by Aldrin. Collins remained in orbit above the Moon. The astronauts returned safely to earth four days later.

Crew

Mission Parameters

  • Mass:
    • Launch mass: 2,923,387 kg
    • Total spacecraft: 46,678 kg
      • CSM mass: 30,320 kg, of which CM was 5960 kg, SM 24,360 kg
      • LM mass: 16,448 kg, of which ascent stage was 4985 kg, descent stage 11,463 kg
  • Earth orbits: one and a half before leaving for Moon, about one on return
  • Lunar orbits: 30

See also

Mission Highlights

Half of Apollo's primary goal was achieved at 4:17 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on July 20, when Armstrong piloted the "Eagle" to a touchdown on the Moon, with less than 30 seconds' worth of fuel left in the lunar module. Six hours later, Armstrong took his famous "one giant leap for mankind." Aldrin joined him, and the two spent two-and-a-half hours drilling core samples, photographing what they saw and collecting rocks. After more than 21 hours on the lunar surface, they returned to Collins on board "Columbia," bringing 20.87 kilograms of lunar samples with them. The two Moon-walkers had left behind scientific instruments, an American flag and other mementos, including a plaque bearing the inscription: "Here Men From Planet Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon. July 1969 A.D. We Came in Peace For All Mankind."

  • On July 20, while on the far side of the moon, the lunar module, called "Eagle," separated from the "Columbia". Collins remained aboard Columbia while Eagle, carrying Armstrong and Aldrin, descended to the surface.
  • After a careful visual inspection, Eagle fired its engine and began its descent. During the descent to the lunar surface, the astronauts noticed that the intended landing site was rockier than surveillance photographs had indicated. Armstrong took manual control of the lunar module at that point, and guided it to a landing on a smoother patch of ground, later known as Tranquility Base.
  • On July 20 at 10:56 PM EDT, six and a half hours after landing, Armstrong made his descent to the moon surface and made the famous statement: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." (Though he apparently dropped the "a", changing the meaning of the statement—some historians have been charitable and called this a radio communication failure rather than a simple mistake by Armstrong).
  • After 21 hours and 36 minutes, Eagle fired its ascent engines and rendezvoused with the Columbia for the return flight. 22 kg of lunar samples were collected. The astronauts returned to earth on July 24, welcomed as heroes. The splashdown point was 13 deg 19 min N, 169 deg 9 min W, 400 miles SSW of Wake Island and 24 km (15 mi) from the recovery ship USS Hornet.




File:Ap11-KSC-69PC-442.jpg
The Saturn V carrying Apollo 11 took several seconds to clear the tower on July 16, 1969.
The Saturn V first stage finished its burn 150 seconds after launch and separated from the craft.


Apollo 11 astronauts left footprints.
Buzz Aldrin poses on the moon allowing Neil Armstrong to photograph both of them using the visor reflection.
Aldrin stands next to the Passive Seismic Experiment Package with the Lunar Module in the background.

Post scriptum

Astronauts walking on the moon had to shuffle to keep from taking gigantic steps.

The command module and its crew were flawlessly recovered by the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12). The ship is now open to the public as a museum in Alameda, CA.

The command module is displayed at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. The lunar module was jettisoned on 21 July, 1969. Impact site of the lunar module on the Moon is unknown.

Reference




Preceded by :
Apollo 10		 Apollo program Followed by :
Apollo 12
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