Apollo 11
On the 4th of October 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1. This first artificial satellite surprised the world and ignited fears about Soviet technological capabilities. The event demonstrated that Moscow could potentially deliver nuclear weapons over intercontinental distances. It challenged American claims of military and economic superiority. President Dwight D. Eisenhower responded by creating NASA in 1958. He initiated Project Mercury to place a man into Earth orbit. The Soviets took the lead on the 12th of April 1961 when Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space. Nearly a month later Alan Shepard flew for fifteen minutes as the first American in space. His flight was suborbital rather than a full orbit. President John F. Kennedy chose a challenge that exceeded existing rocket capabilities. A crewed mission to the Moon would serve this purpose. On the 25th of May 1961 Kennedy declared his goal before Congress. He stated he wanted to land a man on the Moon before the decade ended.
Technologies required for Apollo were developed by Project Gemini. The program adopted new advances in semiconductor devices including metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors. Silicon integrated circuit chips powered the Apollo Guidance Computer. An early decision chosen lunar orbit rendezvous over direct ascent or Earth orbit rendezvous. This design meant the spacecraft could be launched by a single Saturn V rocket. Project Apollo was abruptly halted by the Apollo 1 fire on the 27th of January 1967. Three astronauts Gus Grissom Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee died during the incident. In October 1968 Apollo 7 evaluated the command module in Earth orbit. December saw Apollo 8 test it in lunar orbit. March 1969 brought Apollo 9 which put the lunar module through its paces. May 1969 had Apollo 10 conduct a dress rehearsal in lunar orbit. By July 1969 all systems were ready for Apollo 11. The Soviet Union appeared to be winning the Space Race initially but their lead was overtaken. Their failure to develop the N1 launcher allowed the US to take the lead. On July 13 three days before launch the Soviets attempted to beat the US with Luna 15.
The initial crew assignment of Commander Neil Armstrong Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin was announced on the 20th of November 1967. Lovell and Aldrin had previously flown together as the crew of Gemini 12. Michael Collins began experiencing trouble with his legs after Apollo 8. Doctors diagnosed a bony growth between his fifth and sixth vertebrae requiring surgery. Fred Haise filled in as backup LMP while Collins recovered. Deke Slayton gave Armstrong the option to replace Aldrin with Lovell. Armstrong declined the offer after thinking about it for one day. He believed Lovell deserved to command his own mission eventually Apollo 13. The Apollo 11 prime crew forged an amiable working relationship rather than close camaraderie. Collins considered himself a loner and rebuffed Aldrin's attempts at personal connection. They described themselves as amiable strangers. Backup crew consisted of Lovell as Commander William Anders as CMP and Haise as LMP. Ken Mattingly moved from support crew into parallel training with Anders. Shortly before launch Mattingly was replaced by Jack Swigert due to measles exposure concerns. Support crew included Mattingly Ronald Evans and Bill Pogue.
Saturn V AS-506 launched Apollo 11 on the 16th of July 1969 at 13:32 UTC. An estimated one million spectators watched the launch from highways and beaches near Cape Canaveral. Around 3,500 media representatives were present including those from 55 other countries. The launch was televised live in 33 countries with an estimated 25 million viewers in the United States alone. At 17:44:00 Eagle separated from Columbia. Armstrong exclaimed The Eagle has wings! As descent began they passed landmarks two or three seconds early. They reported being long miles west of their target point. Five minutes into the descent burn above the surface the LM guidance computer distracted them with unexpected 1201 and 1202 program alarms. Inside Mission Control computer engineer Jack Garman told Guidance Officer Steve Bales it was safe to continue. The alarms indicated executive overflows meaning the computer could not complete all tasks in real-time. Margaret Hamilton recalled the situation later as Director of Apollo Flight Computer Programming. The cause was diagnosed as the rendezvous radar switch being in the wrong position. Software engineer Don Eyles concluded the problem was due to a hardware design bug seen during testing of Apollo 5. When Armstrong looked outside he saw the system targeting a boulder-strewn area north and east of West crater.
Eagles hatch opened at 02:39:33 on July 21 after six hours and thirty-nine minutes of preparation. Armstrong stepped off the landing pad at 02:56:15 declaring That's one small step for [a] man one giant leap for mankind. He collected a contingency soil sample using a bag on a stick twelve minutes after stepping out. Aldrin joined him on the surface describing the view as Magnificent desolation. They planted the Lunar Flag Assembly containing a flag of the United States. Aldrin gave a crisp West Point salute before taking a photo of Armstrong with the flag. President Richard Nixon spoke to them through a telephone-radio transmission calling it the most historic phone call ever made from the White House. They deployed the EASEP which included a Passive Seismic Experiment Package used to measure moonquakes. A retroreflector array was also installed for the lunar laser ranging experiment. Three new minerals were discovered in rock samples: armalcolite tranquillityite and pyroxferroite. Armalcolite was named after Armstrong Aldrin and Collins. All have subsequently been found on Earth. The astronauts left behind an Apollo 1 mission patch in memory of three deceased crew members. Two memorial medals of Soviet cosmonauts Vladimir Komarov and Yuri Gagarin were also placed there.
Columbia splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24 at 16:35:35 UTC after more than eight days in space. The aircraft carrier Hornet under Captain Carl J. Seiberlich served as primary recovery ship. Weather satellites were not yet common but US Air Force Captain Hank Brandli accessed top-secret spy satellite images. He realized a storm front was headed for the recovery area posing serious threats to safety. Rear Admiral Donald C. Davis advised NASA to change the recovery area northeast. On the 10th of August 1969 the Interagency Committee on Back Contamination lifted quarantine on the astronauts. Following return to Earth the crew received widespread international acclaim. On the 13th of August 1969 ticker-tape parades occurred in New York City and Chicago with six million people lining streets. A state dinner held that evening in Los Angeles was attended by members of Congress and 44 state governors. President Richard Nixon awarded each astronaut the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On September 16 they addressed a joint session of Congress presenting two American flags. A 38-day world goodwill tour titled Giant Leap began on September 29 and concluded November 5. The astronauts visited 22 countries including Mexico City Tokyo Bogotá Buenos Aires Rio de Madrid Paris Amsterdam Brussels London Rome Belgrade Tehran Mumbai Bangkok Sydney Guam and Honolulu.
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Common questions
When did the Apollo 11 mission launch and land?
Saturn V AS-506 launched Apollo 11 on the 16th of July 1969 at 13:32 UTC. Eagles hatch opened at 02:39:33 on July 21 after six hours and thirty-nine minutes of preparation.
Who were the crew members assigned to Apollo 11?
The initial crew assignment included Commander Neil Armstrong Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin. Michael Collins served as the original Command Module Pilot but underwent surgery for a bony growth between his fifth and sixth vertebrae before the mission.
What computer errors occurred during the Apollo 11 lunar descent?
Five minutes into the descent burn above the surface the LM guidance computer distracted them with unexpected 1201 and 1202 program alarms. The cause was diagnosed as the rendezvous radar switch being in the wrong position creating executive overflows that prevented the computer from completing all tasks in real-time.
How many people watched the Apollo 11 launch live?
An estimated one million spectators watched the launch from highways and beaches near Cape Canaveral. The launch was televised live in 33 countries with an estimated 25 million viewers in the United States alone.
When did the Apollo 11 astronauts return to Earth and how long were they in space?
Columbia splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24 at 16:35:35 UTC after more than eight days in space. On the 10th of August 1969 the Interagency Committee on Back Contamination lifted quarantine on the astronauts following their return to Earth.