| APOLLO 11 |
| Apollo 11 achieved its mission of being the first manned vehicle to perform a lunar landing and return home safely. The launch vehicle and spacecraft (LM-5, named the Eagle) arrived at Pad 39-A six days before the flight. A successful countdown test ending on July 3 showed the readiness of machines, systems, and people. The crew for Apollo 11, all of whom had already flown in space during the Gemini program, had been intensively training as a team for many months. Neil Armstrong was the Commander; Edwin E. (“Buzz”) Aldrin Jr. the Lunar Module Pilot; and Michael Collins the Command Module Pilot. James Lovell was the backup commander; Fred Haise the Lunar Module Pilot; and William A. Anders the backup Command Module Pilot. There weren’t any delays before the launch on July 16, 1969 at 9:32 am EDT from Kennedy Space Center, FL. They made thirty orbits and reached a maximum altitude of 389, 645 km. Apollo 11 landed on the moon at a spot called the Sea of Tranquility on July 20 at 4:17 p.m. EDT and Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon at 10:56 p.m. EDT. They stayed on the lunar surface for twenty-one hours and were in lunar orbit for five hours. The Apollo 11 crew stayed in Space for eight days, three hours, eighteen minutes, and thirty-five seconds. Splashdown (the return landing) took place on July 24, 1969 at 12:50 p.m. EDT. The entire crew was on board the U.S.S Hornet at 1:53 p.m. EDT and the spacecraft was aboard at 3:50 pm. This flight was one of the most historical events in NASA’s history. It also brought the United States up to the number one spot in the Space Race, finally giving Russia some competition. |