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Jul 24, 2019 · The Apollo 11 command module Columbia with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin aboard splashed down at 11:49 a.m. CDT, July 24, 1969, about 812 nautical miles southwest of Hawaii and only 12 nautical miles from the USS Hornet. NASA.
- Jim Banke
- Mission Time 00:00:00: Apollo 11 Launches
- 02:44:16: One Loop Around Earth, Then Moon-Bound
- 03:24:03: Vessels Rearrange in Space
- 75:49:50: Entering Moon's Orbit
- 100:39:53: Armstrong Maneuvers Descent
- 102:45:40: 'The Eagle Has Landed'
- 109:07:33: Armstrong, Aldrin on The Moon: 'That's One Small Step...'
- 124:22:01: A Meal, A Nap, Then Lift-Off from The Moon
- 128:03:00: Docking with Command Module
- 195:07:15: Re-Entry Into Earth’s Atmosphere
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....
After firing and jettisoning two of the Saturn V’s three engines, the spacecraft entered Earth’s orbit at nearly 120 miles above the surface. 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.
Next came a truly tricky dance move. 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,...
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. This last move, known as lunar orbit insertion, went off without a hitch, swinging the astronauts around the moon at 62 miles above the...
During the spacecraft’s second pass around the moon, Mission Commander Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Aldrin moved from the CSM into the snug confines of the LM to prepare for detachment, leaving Command Module Pilot Michael Collins to anxiously wait and circle in orbit. Next came the “powered descent” of the LM, what Neufeld calls “the most crit...
Armstrong, a veteran test pilot, remained cool and collected even as warning alarms blared in the cramped cabin and Mission Control announced only 30 seconds of fuel left in the reserves. “I think Armstrong was comfortable,” says Neufeld. “It was a tense landing, but he knew he could make it.” Standing side-by-side and peering out small triangular ...
As commander, Armstrong had the privilege of being the first astronaut to set foot on the moon. As he stepped off the ladder onto the lunar surface, Armstrong famously radioed back to Earth, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind." (While Armstrong said "aman..." most heard "small step for man.") Aldrin followed Armstrong do...
After a meal and a few hours of sleep, it was time for Armstrong and Aldrin to rejoin Collins and the CSM in lunar orbit. Neufeld says that this was another nail-biter moment for folks like him watching at home. “Lift-off made me nervous,” says Neufeld. “There’s only one ascent engine and it’s got to light. It’s the only way to get back alive.” The...
Thankfully, the ascent engine ignited perfectly and Armstrong and Aldrin cruised into lunar orbit where they pulled off yet another tricky maneuver, docking with the CSM in mid-flight. Armstrong, who had performed the very first successful space docking ever during Gemini 8, proved more than capable for the job. The three-man crew reunited in the C...
After firing its engines one last time to enter Earth’s orbit, the Service Module was ditched and the three astronauts braced for re-entry inside the cone-shaped Command Module. This would be the final test for the Apollo 11 crew and the thousands of engineers and test pilots who had made this moment possible. The capsule had to enter the atmospher...
- Dave Roos
- Saturn V is still the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. Standing at more than 100m (363ft), the Saturn V rocket burned some 20 tonnes of fuel a second at launch.
- Apollo's crew compartment was about the same size as a large car. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins spent eight days together travelling about half a million miles to the Moon and back in a space roughly the size of a large car.
- African-American women skilled in maths helped to work out the route to the Moon. In the pre-digital age, Nasa employed a large number of female mathematicians as "human computers".
- No-one knows where the Apollo 11 module is now. A total of 10 lunar modules were sent into space and six landed humans on the moon. NASA. Apollo 11's Lunar Module 'Eagle' begins its descent to the lunar surface.
Dec 31, 2008 · Dec. 30, 2008. Seven astronauts slipped into unconsciousness within seconds and their bodies were whipped around in seats whose restraints failed as the space shuttle Columbia spun out of...
In the decades since Yury Gagarin became the first man in space in 1961, many milestones in space travel have been achieved by a variety of men and women from around the world. The table provides a chronology of notable astronauts. This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
NameMissionDateAccomplishmentApril 12, 1961first man in spaceMercury-Redstone 3 (Freedom 7)May 5, 1961first American in spaceVostok 2Aug. 6–7, 1961first to spend more than one day in ...Mercury-Atlas 6 (Friendship 7)Feb. 20, 1962first American in orbit- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
On April 9, 1959, NASA introduced its first astronaut class. Front row, left to right: Wally Schirra, Deke Slayton, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter; back row, Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, and Gordon Cooper. Image Credit: NASA. Freedom 7 mission. Liftoff of astronaut Alan Shepard Jr.’s Freedom 7 mission, powered by a Redstone rocket, May 5, 1961.
Apr 17, 2015 · On July 18, Armstrong and Aldrin put on their spacesuits and climbed through the docking tunnel from Columbia to Eagle to check out the LM, and to make the second TV transmission. On July 19, after Apollo 11 had flown behind the moon out of contact with Earth, came the first lunar orbit insertion maneuver.
