Apollo 11: The Moon Landing

Today I learnt all about Apollo 11, and significant the mission is to our history today.

Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that first landed humans on the moon. The rocket launched on July 16, 1969 and lasted 8 days.

Who were the astronauts?

The Apollo 11 mission consisted of a crew of three men. They were Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin.

What was the mission?

Apollo 11 was the first spaceflight that landed humans on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon's surface on July 20th, 1969. Michael Collins stayed up in the spacecraft orbiting the moon, which is a greater achievement than many would think.

Besides the actual landing, the astronauts also collected samples from the moon. They carried the first geologic samples from the moon back to earth. They collected 21.6 kilograms of material, including 50 rocks, samples of the fine-grained lunar regolith, and two core tubes that included material from up to 13 centimeters below the Moon's surface.

What did the spacecraft look like?

The Apollo 11 mission had 3 spacecrafts: the Command Module Columbia, a Service Module and, the Lunar Module Eagle. Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the moon in the Eagle, while Collins remained alone in the Columbia serving as a communications link and taking photos of the lunar service. Columbia was the only part of the spacecraft that actually returned to earth.

Command Module Columbia:

This module was the living quarters for the three person crew during the journey to and from the moon. The interior of the module is about as roomy as a large automobile. It was launched from earth via Saturn V rocket. After a successful moon landing, Columbia returned all three astronauts to earth. The module splashed into the Pacific Ocean and was collected by the USS Hornet recovery ship. Seven minutes before the impact, parachutes were deployed for a safe landing. This Command Module Columbia is now on display at the Nation Air and Space Museum.

Service Module:

The Service Module was connected to the Command Module, until just before re-entry. It supplies oxygen, water and electrical power to the Command Module. It is also equipped with the Service Propulsion Subsystem engine, which was used to control the flight path until the Service Module and Command Module separate before re-entry.

Lunar Module Eagle:

The Lunar Module Eagle was launched with the Command Module Columbia, it then separated once lunar orbit was achieved. Once lunar orbit was achieved, it landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon. Once samples were collected and the astronauts were ready, they returned to the Lunar Module Eagle which lifted them back to rejoin Michael Collins aboard the Command Module Columbia in lunar orbit. The Lunar Module Eagle was abandoned in lunar orbit and it's ultimate fate remains unknown. However, some calculations made by the physicist James Meador suggests that the Module could still theoretically be in lunar orbit.