APOLLO 11

Apollo 11, U.S. spaceflight during which commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, on July 20, 1969, became the first people to land on the Moon and walk the lunar surface.

Apollo 11 was the culmination of the Apollo program and a massive national commitment by the United States to beat the Soviet Union in putting people on the Moon.

RACE FOR
THE MOON

During the cold war, a competition between The Soviet Union and The United States took place, a competition in technology in which who would be the superior nation.

In 1955, both countries announced that they would launch satellites into orbit. Soviet was the first nation to do so with the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957.

The United States, however, launched their first satellite 4 months later in 1958.The Soviet was also the first nation to send the first human to space, Yuri Gagarin, in 1961. Yet again, the Soviet was one step ahead of The United States with only three weeks.

The United States responded with its own space program, including the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions.

Successfully being the nation that would first have their people set foot on the moon, being the Apollo 11 mission which took place in 1969.

THE CREW

Aboard Apollo 11 were Armstrong, Aldrin, and command module pilot Michael Collins.

Three more than qualified candidates for this mission with various backgrounds, to make a perfect team.

Their enthusiasm was evident from the beginning, as Armstrong exclaimed -

BUZZ ALDRIN

Prior to becoming an astronaut, Aldrin served as a fighter pilot in the US Air Force during the Korean War, in which he flew 66 combat missions.

Aldrin was also the first astronaut with a doctoral degree, which he earned at MIT specialising in astronautics.

In addition to his historic Moon landing, Aldrin also made significant contributions to the design of spacecraft, space suits, and rendezvous techniques during his career as an astronaut.

MICHAEL COLLINS

Prior to joining NASA in 1963, Collins graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point and became a fighter pilot for the Air Force.

When he joined NASA as an astronaut, not only did he participate in the Apollo 11 mission, but also the prior space journey with Gemini 10.

After leaving NASA, Collins served as the director of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

NEIL ARMSTRONG

Before he joined the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong was a pilot and an astronaut.
‍
Previously served as a naval aviator in the 1950s with over 78 flown combat missions during the Korean war. After leaving the military, he then became a test pilot and flew over 200 different types of aircraft.

Due to his previous experience and knowledge, Armstrong was an ideal candidate for the NASA astronaut program.

“This Saturn gave us a magnificent ride.… It was beautiful!”
— Neil Armstrong

SATURN V

Saturn V was a type of rocket developed by NASA to launch astronauts to the Moon during the Apollo missions in 1960/70.The rocket stood 363 feet tall and weighed over 6 million pounds when fully fueled.

It was made up of three stages, each with its own rocket engine and fuel supply.

It was used for a total of 13 launches, including the historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969 that landed astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon.

S-IC (BOEING)

The S-IC, or Saturn V first stage, was the largest and most powerful rocket stage ever built, designed to lift the massive Saturn V rocket off the launch pad and into orbit.

It stood 138 feet tall and was powered by five F-1 rocket engines, which generated a combined thrust of 7.5 million pounds at liftoff.

It was also responsible for providing the initial push for the rocket, burning for just over two minutes before being jettisoned and separating from the rest of the rocket.

S-II (NORTH
AMERICAN AVIATION)

The S-II was the second stage of the Saturn V rocket and was responsible for carrying the Apollo spacecraft into Earth orbit and on its trajectory to the Moon.

S-II was 81 feet long and 33 feet in diameter and was powered by five Rocketdyne J-2 engines, which burned liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to produce a combined thrust of over one million pounds.

The S-II was jettisoned from the Saturn V rocket once its fuel was depleted, allowing the third stage to take over and propel the spacecraft towards the Moon.

S-IVB (DOUGLAS)

The S-IVB was the third stage of the Saturn V rocket used in the Apollo missions, designed to provide the final push necessary to put the spacecraft into orbit around the Earth or on a trajectory to the Moon.

The S-IVB was powered by a single J-2 engine and could burn for up to six minutes, allowing it to accelerate the spacecraft to a speed of about 24,500 miles per hour.

On the Apollo 8 mission, the S-IVB intentionally crashed into the Moon to generate seismic data for scientific study.

INSTRUMENT UNIT
(IBM)

The Instrument Unit (IU) was a critical component of the Saturn V rocket, located at the top of the third stage.

It included gyroscopes and accelerometers, which provided information on the rocket's position, velocity, and attitude, and allowed the guidance system to make necessary adjustments.

The IU was also responsible for initiating stage separation and other critical events during the launch sequence, but not only that, but it also played a crucial role in the success of the Apollo missions, providing the precise guidance and control necessary to achieve lunar orbit and successfully return to Earth.

LUNAR MODULE (GRUMMAN)

The Lunar Module was a spacecraft designed to land on the Moon and provide a base for the astronauts during their time on the lunar surface.

It consisted of two parts, the descent stage and the ascent stage:The descent stage contained the engine and fuel necessary to land on the Moon, as well as living quarters and equipment for the astronauts.

The ascent stage was designed to take the astronauts back into lunar orbit and included the engine and fuel necessary for the return journey to the Command Module.

SERVICE MODULE
(NORTH AMERICAN)

The Service Module (SM) was a critical component of the Apollo spacecraft, attached to the Command Module and responsible for providing propulsion, power, and life support systems during the mission.

It included the main engine, which provided the necessary thrust to enter and exit lunar orbit, as well as a number of smaller engines used for attitude control and maneuvering.

The SM also housed the fuel and oxygen supplies necessary for the mission and provided electrical power and environmental control systems for the crew.

COMMAND MODULE

The Command Module (CM) was the crew compartment of the Apollo spacecraft, located at the top of the Saturn V rocket and responsible for carrying the three astronauts into space and back safely to Earth.

The CM contained living quarters for the crew, including sleeping bunks, a galley, and waste management systems.

It was also equipped with communication and navigation systems, allowing the crew to communicate with mission control and track their position during the mission.

LAUNCH ESCAPE
SYSTEM

The Saturn V rocket was equipped with a launch escape system designed to protect the crew in the event of a catastrophic failure during the launch.

The system consisted of a tower mounted atop the crew module that contained three solid-fueled rockets capable of propelling the module away from the rocket and towards safety.

If a problem was detected during launch, the system would be triggered, and the rockets would ignite, carrying the crew module away from the rocket and into the air where the parachutes would deploy to bring the module back to Earth safely.

TAKEOFF

From the time of its launch on July 16, 1969, until the return splashdown on July 24, almost every major aspect of the flight of Apollo 11 was witnessed via television by hundreds of millions of people in nearly every part of the globe.

The pulse of humanity rose with the giant, 111-metre- (363-foot-) high, 3,038,500-kg (6,698,700-pound) Saturn V launch vehicle as it made its flawless flight from Pad 39A at Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral), Florida, before hundreds of thousands of spectators.

S-IC STAGE
SEPARATION

The S-IC separation was a critical event in the launch of the Saturn V rocket and marked the separation of the first stage of the rocket from the rest of the vehicle.

It burned for approximately two minutes before it was jettisoned from the rocket and fell back to Earth.

This separation was necessary to reduce the weight of the remaining stages and to ensure that the rocket could achieve the necessary altitude and velocity to reach orbit!

S-II STAGE
SEPARATION

The S-II stage separation was yet another important event in the launch of the Saturn V rocket and marked the separation of the second stage from the rest of the rocket.

It burned for approximately six minutes before it was jettisoned from the rocket and fell back to Earth.

This separation was necessary to reduce the weight of the remaining stages and to ensure that the rocket could achieve the necessary altitude and velocity to reach Earth's orbit and then proceed on its journey to the Moon.

TRANSLUNAR
INJECTION

The Translunar Injection (TLI) occurred on July 16, 1969, approximately 12 minutes after the launch of the Saturn V rocket from Cape Canaveral.

The maneuver was performed using the S-IVB third stage of the Saturn V rocket.

After entering Earth's orbit, the S-IVB engine was reignited to provide the necessary velocity for the Apollo 11 spacecraft to escape Earth's gravity and begin its journey to the Moon.

EN ROUTE
TO THE MOON

Once the Translunar Injection was complete, the spacecraft separated from the S-IVB stage and entered a trajectory towards the Moon.

The third stage of the Saturn then fired to start the crew on their 376,400-km (234,000-mile) journey to the Moon.

The three astronauts conducted their transposition and docking maneuvers, first turning the command module, Columbia, and its attached service module around and then extracting the lunar module from its resting place above Saturn’s third stage.

LUNAR ORBIT
INSERTION

On July 19, 1969, after traveling for approximately three days, the Apollo 11 spacecraft approached the Moon and fired its Service Propulsion System (SPS) engine to slow down and be captured into the Moon's gravitational field.

The Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) burn lasted for approximately
six minutes, slowing down the spacecraft enough to be
captured by the Moon's gravity and enter
into a lunar orbit.

After the LOI was complete, the Apollo 11
spacecraft began orbiting the Moon
at an altitude of approximately 69 miles.

TRANSFER TO
LUNAR MODULE

On the morning of July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin crawled from the command module through an interconnecting tunnel into the lunar module, Eagle.

Toward the end of the 12th lunar orbit, the Apollo 11 spacecraft became two separate spacecraft: Columbia, piloted by Collins, and Eagle, occupied by Armstrong and Aldrin.

LUNAR MODULE
SEPARATION

By firing Eagle’s propulsion system, the two astronauts changed from their nearly circular orbit to an elliptical course whose closest approach to the Moon were only 15,000 meters (50,000 feet).

At this low point, they again fired their engine, this time to undergo the powered descent initiation manoeuvre.

LUNAR MODULE
DESCENT

Five times during the descent, the guidance computer triggered an alarm (called “1202” or “1201”) that its memory was full, but simulations before the mission showed that a landing could still happen despite the alarm, and thus Mission Control told the astronauts to continue the descent.

At about 150 meters (500 feet) above the surface, Armstrong began manoeuvring the craft manually (although the main engine continued under automatic control) to avoid landing in a rock-strewn crater.

For about a minute and a half, Armstrong hovered Eagle, moving it laterally with the reaction control system until he found a clear area on which to descend.

Then the contact light went on inside the cockpit, as the 172-cm (68-inch) probes dangling below Eagle’s footpads signaled contact with the ground.

TOUCH DOWN

One second later the descent rocket engine was cut off, as the astronauts gazed down onto a sheet of lunar soil blown radially in all directions. Armstrong then radioed at 4:17 PM U.S. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT),

“Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”

Eagle had touched down in the Sea of Tranquility, an area selected for its level and smooth terrain.

“That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”
— Neil Armstrong

During their moon walk of more than two hours, Armstrong and Aldrin set up a device to measure the composition of the solar wind reaching the Moon, a device to receive laser beams from astronomical observatories on Earth to determine the exact distance of the two bodies from one another, and a passive seismometer to measure moonquakes and meteor impacts long after the astronauts had returned home.

They also took about 23 kg (50 pounds) of rock and soil samples, took many photographs, and maintained constant communication with mission control in Houston, Texas.

At 10:56 PM EDT on July 20, Armstrong stepped out onto the lunar soil with the words,

“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

(In the excitement of the moment, Armstrong skipped the “a” in the statement that he had prepared.) He immediately described the surface as “fine and powdery” and said that there was no difficulty moving about.

Aldrin joined his companion about 20 minutes later.

THE JOURNEY BACK

After 21 hours 38 minutes on the Moon’s surface, the astronauts used Eagle’s ascent stage to launch it back into lunar orbit.

After various manoeuvres, Eagle once again docked with Collins in Columbia, and the trip back to Earth began soon afterwards.

GATHERING THE CREW

After 21 hours 38 minutes on the Moon’s surface, the astronauts used Eagle’s ascent stage to launch it back into lunar orbit.

After various manoeuvres, Eagle once again docked with Collins in Columbia, and the trip back to Earth began soon afterwards.

NEXT DESTINATION:
EARTH

TOUCH DOWN

After almost three days of traveling from the moon, the three astronauts were closing in, almost back at Earth preparing to enter the atmosphere again.

As Saturn V approached Earth after a successful moon landing, it was time for the Command Module to separate from the Lunar Module.

The Command Module's engines fired, pushing it away from the Lunar Module, and then the two modules separated completely.

Once the Command Module was a safe distance away, the astronauts were able to jettison the Lunar Module, which then burned up in the Earth's atmosphere.

With the separation complete, the Command Module was free to begin its descent back to Earth.

The Splashdown of Apollo 11 occurred in the Pacific Ocean about 1,400 km (900 miles) west of Hawaii on July 24.

The astronauts were immediately placed in quarantine in a van on the recovery ship. From there they were flown to the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, where they were transferred into the large, 58-room Lunar Receiving Laboratory.

The quarantine lasted 21 days from the time Eagle took off from the Moon; during that period the astronauts were checked for any diseases they might have picked up on the Moon, and the lunar samples were subjected to preliminary analysis.