Armstrong and Aldrin collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar material to bring back to Earth as pilot Michael Collins flew the Command Module Columbia in lunar orbit, and were on the Moon's surface for 21 hours, 36 minutes before lifting off to rejoin Columbia.
Full Answer
What really happened with Apollo 11?
Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon.Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin formed the American crew that landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC.Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours and 39 minutes later on July 21 at 02:56 UTC; Aldrin joined him 19 minutes ...
What did Apollo 11 take from the Moon?
Fast Facts: Apollo 11. The goal of Apollo 11 was, as John F. Kennedy had pronounced less than a decade earlier, to land astronauts on the Moon and return them safely to Earth. The mission conducted the first crewed landing on the Moon, deployed instruments, took photographs, collected samples and returned the crew safely back home.
Was Apollo 11 a hoax?
Apollo 11 Mission:A Hoax? ? Evidence? There is evidence that the Apollo Moon Landing was fake.Some include: 1.The flag was up,which couldn't happen in space since it is a vacuum and therefore, there is no breeze. 2.There were no stars in the background 3.There was a "C" on one of
How did Apollo 11 get to the Moon?
How did we get to the Moon… and back?
- Sailing to the Moon. After circling the Earth one-and-a-half times, the third stage reignited for another 6 minutes to send Apollo 11 on its way to the Moon.
- The Eagle has landed. Once Apollo 11 reached the Moon, the spacecraft slid into orbit. ...
- Speedy return. The other half of Eagle docked with Columbia on its 27 th orbit of the Moon. ...
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How did Apollo 11 return back to Earth?
They jettisoned Eagle before they performed the maneuvers that propelled Columbia out of the last of its 30 lunar orbits onto a trajectory back to Earth. They returned to Earth and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24 after more than eight days in space.
How did Apollo 11 land?
The Eagle lunar module had a descent rocket engine to slow it down, drop into a lower orbit and then hover over the surface. Guided by a landing radar, Armstrong piloted Eagle semi-manually using four clusters of rockets to finally touchdown in the Sea of Tranquillity on 20 July 1969.
How did Apollo 11 survive reentry?
Once safe in the ocean, the spacecraft's ventilation system allowed fresh air into the capsule. The astronauts used VHF recovery beacon and radios to guide a recovery ship to the spacecraft's location. A ship recovered the crew and capsule.
How did the astronauts get back to Earth?
The landing mission was aborted, and the astronauts and controllers on Earth scrambled to come up with emergency procedures. The crippled spacecraft continued to the moon, looped around it, and began a long, cold journey back to Earth.
Why havent we returned to the moon?
Human Moon landings require more resources than robotic landings, since humans require water, oxygen, food, and other amenities to remain alive. That said, several nations—including private companies from those nations—are working on robotic Moon initiatives that could support future human missions.
What was left on the moon?
Aside from trash—from food packaging to wet wipes—nearly 100 packets of human urine and excrement have been discarded. The Apollo astronauts also dumped tools and television equipment that they no longer needed.
What was the temperature during the Moon landing?
This allows for an extreme amount of heat to leave the surface of the Moon when it is in darkness, resulting in plummeting temperatures to as cold as -380 degrees Fahrenheit at times.
How did Apollo 11 not melt?
The density of the atmosphere up in the thermosphere is very very thin. There simply isn't nearly enough mass to transfer any significant amount of heat from the thermosphere to a spacecraft travelling through it.
How fast did Apollo 11 reenter the atmosphere?
A spacecraft, like the Apollo 11 Command Module, is traveling at a great speed when it enters the atmosphere. Apollo 11 entered the atmosphere at almost 24 thousand miles per hour (10.67 km/s). It had to shed that speed before the capsule landed in the water.
Why astronauts can't walk after landing?
The bones break down in the legs, hips, and spines. The loss of calcium renders them weaker, and more prone to injuries once the astronauts are back on Earth. Over time, the muscles in the legs and back atrophies and weaken too. This will result in a loss of mobility after landing on earth.
How much do astronauts get paid?
The pay grades for civilian astronaut candidates are set by federal government pay scales and vary based on academic achievements and experience. According to NASA , civilian astronaut salaries range from $104,898 to $161,141 per year. Here are a few of the benefits offered to civilian astronauts: Health care.
Did Neil Armstrong leave his daughter's bracelet on the Moon?
Roger Launius, the former NASA chief historian and a former senior curator at the National Air and Space Museum, agreed, saying, “there is no evidence to support the assertion that he left a bracelet of his daughter on the moon.” Though apparently fiction, the moment is a critical one.
How was the first person to land on the Moon?
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on the moon. He and Aldrin walked around for three hours. They did experiments. They picked up bits of moon dirt and rocks.
Where did Apollo 11 land in the ocean?
the Pacific OceanAfter a flight of 195 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds - about 36 minutes longer than planned - Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, 13 miles from the recovery ship USS Hornet. Because of bad weather in the target area, the landing point was changed by about 250 miles.
Did Neil Armstrong leave his daughter's bracelet on the Moon?
Roger Launius, the former NASA chief historian and a former senior curator at the National Air and Space Museum, agreed, saying, “there is no evidence to support the assertion that he left a bracelet of his daughter on the moon.” Though apparently fiction, the moment is a critical one.
What did Apollo 11 say when they landed on the moon?
About six-and-a-half hours later, Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. As he took his first step, Armstrong famously said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The Apollo 11 mission occurred eight years after President John F.
What was the difference between the lunar module and the command module?
The lunar module was very different from the command module, which would have to withstand the heat and stress of re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Walls as thin as a couple of sheets of printer paper were all that shielded the astronauts from the vacuum of space as they descended to the lunar surface.
What was the goal of Apollo 11?
The goal of Apollo 11 was, as John F. Kennedy had pronounced less than a decade earlier, to land astronauts on the Moon and return them safely to Earth. The mission conducted the first crewed landing on the Moon, deployed instruments, took photographs, collected samples and returned the crew safely back home.
How much did the Apollo experiment take?
They deployed the Early Apollo Scientific Experiment Package (EASEP) and other instruments, unfurled a sheet of aluminum foil to trap solar-wind particles, took photographs and collected 47.51 pounds (21.55 kilograms) of lunar rock and soil, which included three minerals never seen before. They walked a total distance of about 820 feet (about 250 meters) and returned to Eagle, closing the latch at 5:11 UT.
How long did Luna 15 stay in orbit?
But Luna 15 remained in lunar orbit for four days while its controllers checked the onboard systems and performed two orbital maneuvers. When it fired its main retro-rocket to begin its landing, at 15:47 UT on July 21, the American astronauts had completed their moonwalk but would not begin their journey home for another two hours.
What is the first word spoken from the surface of another world?
First words spoken from the surface of another world: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."
What did the olive branch on Apollo 11 mean?
In its talons, an olive branch indicated the crew “came in peace for all mankind.” Credit: NASA
How big was the floor of the space station?
The floor of the crew compartment that the two men shared measured about 36 by 55 inches (91 by 140 centimeters). And since chairs were omitted to keep the weight down, the astronauts stood during both descent and ascent.
Where did Apollo 11 go after landing?
They were also sprayed with disinfectant. Ultimately, the Apollo 11 crew went through customs in Hawaii after they reached land.
What happened to Apollo 11?
Here's how it happened. After an eventful journey to and from the moon that included the first human footsteps on the lunar surface, the Apollo 11 crew prepared for a splashdown on Earth on the final day of their mission.
Why did Apollo 11 go into quarantine?
Fifty years ago today (July 24), the Apollo 11 astronauts separated the command module from the service module, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, and safely landed home where they went to spend the next couple of weeks in quarantine to ensure that they hadn't brought back any "moon bugs.". Here's how it happened.
What time did Apollo 11 land on the moon?
The first major milestone took place at 12:21 p.m., when they separated the command module from the "service module", which carried items such as oxygen tanks and electrical systems that were intended to keep the command module working properly during its journey to the moon and back. Relive the Apollo 11 Moon Landing Mission in Real Time.
Where was the Apollo 11 ship splashed down?
But all went to plan. It safely splashed down about 950 miles (1,527 kilometers) southwest of Honolulu and only 15 miles (24 kilometers) from recovery ship USS Hornet. United States President Richard Nixon was in the central Pacific recovery area to welcome the Apollo 11 astronauts aboard the USS Hornet, prime recovery ship for ...
Who was on the Apollo 11 crew?
Riding inside the command module Columbia were Neil Armstrong (commander), Buzz Aldrin (lunar module pilot) and Michael Collins (command module pilot). The Apollo 11 crew woke up at 6:47 a.m. EDT to get ready for their landing.
What ship did Apollo 11 land on?
Apollo 11 Comes Home. The Apollo 11 crew await pickup by a helicopter from the USS Hornet, prime recovery ship for the historic lunar landing mission. The fourth man in the life raft is a United States Navy underwater demolition team swimmer.
Where was the Apollo 11 landing site?
CDT, July 24, 1969, about 812 nautical miles southwest of Hawaii and only 12 nautical miles from the USS Hornet. Image Credit: NASA.
Where was Apollo 11 launched?
Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16 at 13:32 UTC, and it was the fifth crewed mission of NASA 's Apollo program.
What year did NASA choose the Apollo landing site?
NASA's Apollo Site Selection Board announced five potential landing sites on February 8, 1968 . These were the result of two years' worth of studies based on high-resolution photography of the lunar surface by the five uncrewed probes of the Lunar Orbiter program and information about surface conditions provided by the Surveyor program. The best Earth-bound telescopes could not resolve features with the resolution Project Apollo required. The landing site had to be close to the lunar equator to minimize the amount of propellant required, clear of obstacles to minimize maneuvering, and flat to simplify the task of the landing radar. Scientific value was not a consideration.
What song was the Apollo 11 landing?
The Apollo 11 landing is referenced in the songs "Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins" by The Byrds on the 1969 album Ballad of Easy Rider and "Coon on the Moon" by Howlin' Wolf on the 1973 album The Back Door Wolf .
What was Apollo 11's support crew?
During Projects Mercury and Gemini, each mission had a prime and a backup crew. For Apollo, a third crew of astronauts was added, known as the support crew. The support crew maintained the flight plan, checklists and mission ground rules, and ensured the prime and backup crews were apprised of changes. They developed procedures, especially those for emergency situations, so these were ready for when the prime and backup crews came to train in the simulators, allowing them to concentrate on practicing and mastering them. For Apollo 11, the support crew consisted of Ken Mattingly, Ronald Evans and Bill Pogue.
How many PPKs were carried on Apollo 11?
The astronauts had personal preference kits (PPKs), small bags containing personal items of significance they wanted to take with them on the mission. Five 0.5-pound (0.23 kg) PPKs were carried on Apollo 11: three (one for each astronaut) were stowed on Columbia before launch, and two on Eagle.
What is the Apollo 11 emblem?
The Apollo 11 mission emblem was designed by Collins, who wanted a symbol for "peaceful lunar landing by the United States". At Lovell's suggestion, he chose the bald eagle, the national bird of the United States, as the symbol. Tom Wilson, a simulator instructor, suggested an olive branch in its beak to represent their peaceful mission. Collins added a lunar background with the Earth in the distance. The sunlight in the image was coming from the wrong direction; the shadow should have been in the lower part of the Earth instead of the left. Aldrin, Armstrong and Collins decided the Eagle and the Moon would be in their natural colors, and decided on a blue and gold border. Armstrong was concerned that "eleven" would not be understood by non-English speakers, so they went with "Apollo 11", and they decided not to put their names on the patch, so it would "be representative of everyone who had worked toward a lunar landing".
Why did Apollo 8 and Apollo 9 swap crews?
Due to design and manufacturing delays in the LM, Apollo 8 and Apollo 9 swapped prime and backup crews, and Armstrong's crew became the backup for Apollo 8. Based on the normal crew rotation scheme, Armstrong was then expected to command Apollo 11. There would be one change.
How powerful was the Saturn V rocket?
To overcome the Earth’s orbital gravity, NASA required a rocket 100 times more powerful than the Mercury boosters that launched the first American astronaut into orbit in 1961. The three-stage Saturn V was as big as a Navy destroyer, packed 7.5 million pounds of thrust and could catapult the Apollo 11 astronauts to a maximum velocity of 25,000 mph.
What was Apollo 11's command module?
Aside from the Saturn V boosters, the Apollo 11 hardware consisted of three vessels: the Lunar Module (LM), codenamed “Eagle,” to transport two astronauts to and from the moon’s surface; the Command Module (CM), codenamed “Columbia,” where all three astronauts hung out during the journey; and the Service Module, which held the propulsion and support systems. (When the Command Module was attached to the Service Module, it was called the CSM.)
What stage of rocket did Apollo 11 launch?
After one swing around the planet, the third-stage J-2 rocket ignited, hurling the Apollo astronauts out of near-Earth orbit and on a trajectory toward the moon. Diagram of Lunar Landing Mission and time table of events for the scheduled July 16th blastoff of Apollo 11.
Why was the Apollo spacecraft at the mercy of the Service Module engine?
Once separated from the Saturn V, the Apollo spacecraft was at the mercy of the Service Module engine for mid-course corrections and for the critical maneuver of slipping into the moon’s weaker gravitational orbit.
How long did it take Apollo 11 to travel?
Once attached, the Apollo 11 spacecraft separated from the Saturn V for good and the Apollo 11 astronauts began their three-day journey across the 238,000-mile expanse between the Earth and the moon.
When did the Apollo 11 mission go off?
The Apollo Lunar Module known as the Eagle descends onto the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, 20th July 1969.
Why did the astronauts leave the CM capsule?
The three astronauts emerged from the banged up CM capsule wearing biological contamination suits for fear that they brought back toxic moon bacteria. They would remain inside a mobile medical quarantine facility (resembling a modified Airstream trailer) for 21 days before being cleared to return to their families.
How many engines does the Lunar Module have?
The Lunar Module had two separate engines with two different fuel supplies. There were less than 30 seconds’ worth of fuel in the descent engine. The ascent engine was fully fueled and its job was to get the LM back into lunar orbit to rendezvous with the Command Module.
How many seconds of fuel did the Moon use?
The launch used its fuel reserves. The transit to and from the Moon used its fuel reserves. The descent to the Moon’s surface used all but 30 seconds of its fuel reserves. The ascent from the Moon’s surface used its fuel reserves.
What stage of the Moon's descent did the LM run out?
How much fuel was left in the LM descent stage didn’t matter, it could just as well have run out just as they were touching down. The ascent stage was what got the LM off the moon, and that was fully fueled.
How much fuel did Buzz Aldren have on the moon?
Buzz Aldren said they had 15 seconds of fuel left when they landed on the Moon. They probably had quite a bit more though. The engine wouldn’t have run out instantly.
What is the lower stage of aborting?
For aborting, the lower descent stage is jettisoned, and the upper stage’s motor would (hopefully) fire. The upper stage, having it’s own ample fuel supply separate than the lower (different fuels as well), woul
What does 60 seconds mean in the Capcom?
At one point, you hear Charlie Duke (the CapCom) call out, “60 Seconds”. That means they had 60 seconds of burn-time left worth of fuel. As Neil is lowering the LM to the surface, Duke calls out, “30 Seco
How much fuel did Neil Armstrong have left?
had about 20 - 25 seconds of fuel left. This was because they’d overshot the “programmed” landing course by a second or two and where they were going to set down was strewn with boulders big enough to tip the landing stage if they hit one. Neil Armstrong took manual control and added a bit of “sideways” vector to the approach to set down in a less rocky area. This used up a lot of the
Fast Facts: Apollo 11
Firsts
- First time humans walked on the Moon
- First words spoken from the surface of another world: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."
Key Dates
- Launch:July 16, 1969 Lunar Orbit Insertion:July 19, 1969 Lunar Landing: July 20, 1969 Lunar Surface Departure:July 21, 1969 Recovery on Earth:July 24, 1969
Results
- On May 25, 1961, six weeks after Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to fly into space and just 20 days after Alan Shepard became the first American to do so, President Kennedy declared a national goal of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth by the end of the decade. A little more than eight years later, that feat was accomplished. Apoll…
Descent to The Moon
- The lunar module was very different from the command module, which would have to withstand the heat and stress of re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Walls as thin as a couple of sheets of printer paper were all that shielded the astronauts from the vacuum of space as they descended to the lunar surface. The floor of the crew compartment that the two men shared measured abo…
One Giant Leap...
- Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface at 02:56 UT on July 21 (10:56 p.m. EDT on 20 July) with the words, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind." Aldrin followed 19 minutes later. They deployed the Early Apollo Scientific Experiment Package (EASEP) and other instruments, unfurled a sheet of aluminum foil to trap solar-wind particles, took photographs an…
Return to Earth
- Armstrong and Aldrin lifted off from the Moon at 17:54 UT on July 21 after 21 hours, 36 minutes on the lunar surface. The descent stage that had powered their soft landing served as a launch platform for the ascent stage that returned them to orbit. After they docked with Columbia and transferred into its crew compartment, they jettisoned Eagle into lunar orbit. It is assumed to ha…
Overview
Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, and Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon's surface six hours and 39 minutes later, on July 21 at 02:56 UTC. Aldrin joined him 19 minutes lat…
Background
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the United States was engaged in the Cold War, a geopolitical rivalry with the Soviet Union. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite. This surprise success fired fears and imaginations around the world. It demonstrated that the Soviet Union had the capability to deliver nuclear weapons over intercontinental distances, and …
Personnel
The initial crew assignment of Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot (CMP) Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) Buzz Aldrin on the backup crew for Apollo 9 was officially announced on November 20, 1967. Lovell and Aldrin had previously flown together as the crew of Gemini 12. Due to design and manufacturing delays in the LM, Apollo 8 and Apollo 9 swapped prime and bac…
Preparations
The Apollo 11 mission emblem was designed by Collins, who wanted a symbol for "peaceful lunar landing by the United States". At Lovell's suggestion, he chose the bald eagle, the national bird of the United States, as the symbol. Tom Wilson, a simulator instructor, suggested an olive branch in its beak to represent their peaceful mission. Collins added a lunar background with the Earth in the …
Mission
An estimated one million spectators watched the launch of Apollo 11 from the highways and beaches in the vicinity of the launch site. Dignitaries included the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General William Westmoreland, four cabinet members, 19 state governors, 40 mayors, 60 ambassadors and 200 congressmen. Vice President Spiro Agnew viewed the launch with former presid…
Legacy
Humans walking on the Moon and returning safely to Earth accomplished Kennedy's goal set eight years earlier. In Mission Control during the Apollo 11 landing, Kennedy's speech flashed on the screen, followed by the words "TASK ACCOMPLISHED, July 1969". The success of Apollo 11 demonstrated the United States' technological superiority; and with the success of Apollo 11, America h…
Films and documentaries
• Footprints on the Moon, a 1969 documentary film by Bill Gibson and Barry Coe, about the Apollo 11 mission
• Moonwalk One, a 1971 documentary film by Theo Kamecke
• Apollo 11: As it Happened, a 1994 six-hour documentary on ABC News' coverage of the event
See also
• Apollo in Real Time – Interactive website of Apollo 11, 13, and 17
• Exploration of the Moon – Various missions to the Moon
• List of missions to the Moon
• Moon landing conspiracy theories