Historical Importance of the First Man on the Moon: For thousands
of years, man had looked to the heavens and dreamed of walking on the
moon. In 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong became
the very first to accomplish that dream, followed only minutes later by
Buzz Aldrin. Their accomplishment placed the United States ahead of the
Soviets in the Space Race and gave people around the world the hope of
future space exploration.
Dates: July 20, 1969
Also Known As: First Moon Landing, First Man to Walk on the Moon
Crew Aboard Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Michael Collins
Overview of the First Man on the Moon:
When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, the United
States was surprised to find themselves behind in the race to space.
Still behind the Soviets in the Space Race four years later, President
John F. Kennedy gave inspiration and hope to the American people in his
speech to Congress on May 25, 1961 in which he stated, "I believe that
this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this
decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to
the earth."
Just eight years later, the United States accomplished this goal by placing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon.
Take Off!
At 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969, the Saturn V rocket launched Apollo 11
into the sky from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in
Florida. On the ground there were over 3,000 journalists, 7,000
dignitaries, and approximately a half million tourists watching this
momentous occasion. The event went smoothly and as scheduled.
After one-and-a-half orbits around earth, the Saturn V thrusters flared
once again and the crew had to manage the delicate process of attaching
the lunar module (nicknamed Eagle) onto the nose of the joined command
and service module (nicknamed Columbia). Once attached, Apollo 11 left
the Saturn V rockets behind as they began their three-day journey to the
moon, called the translunar coast.
A Difficult Landing
On July 19, at 1:28 p.m. EDT, Apollo 11 entered the moon's orbit. After
spending a full day in lunar orbit, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
boarded the lunar module and detached it from the command module for
their descent to the moon's surface. As the Eagle departed, Michael
Collins, who remained in the Columbia while Armstrong and Aldrin were on
the moon, checked for any visual problems with the lunar module. He saw
none and told the Eagle crew, "You cats take it easy on the lunar
surface."
As the Eagle headed toward the moon's surface, several different warning
alarms were activated. Armstrong and Aldrin realized that the computer
system was guiding them to a landing area that was strewn with boulders
the size of small cars. With some last minute maneuvers, Armstrong
guided the lunar module to a safe landing area. At 4:18 p.m. EDT on July
20, 1969, the landing module landed on the moon's surface in the Sea of
Tranquility with only seconds of fuel left.
Armstrong reported to the command center in Houston, "Houston,
Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Houston responded, "Roger,
Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about
to turn blue. We're breathing again."
Walking on the Moon
After the excitement, exertion, and drama of the lunar landing,
Armstrong and Aldrin spent the next six-and-a-half hours resting and
then preparing themselves for their moon walk.
At 10:28 p.m. EDT, Armstrong turned on the video cameras. These cameras
transmitted images from the moon to over half a billion people on earth
who sat watching their televisions. It was phenomenal that these people
were able to witness the amazing events that were unfolding hundreds of
thousands of miles above them.
Neil Armstrong was the first person out of the lunar module. He climbed
down a ladder and then became the first person to set foot on the moon
at 10:56 p.m. EDT. Armstrong then stated, "That's one small step for
man, one giant leap for mankind."
A few minutes later, Aldrin exited the lunar module and stepped foot on the moon's surface.
Leaving the Surface
Although Armstrong and Aldrin got a chance to admire the tranquil,
desolate beauty of the moon's surface, they also had a lot of work to
do. NASA had sent the astronauts with a number of scientific experiments
to set up and the men were to collect samples from the area around
their landing site. They returned with 46 pounds of moon rocks.
Armstrong and Aldrin also set up a flag of the United States.
While on the moon, the astronauts received a call from President Richard
Nixon. Nixon began by saying, "Hello, Neil and Buzz. I am talking to
you by telephone from the Oval Office of the White House. And this
certainly has to be the most historic telephone calls ever made. I just
can't tell you how proud we are of what you have done."
After spending 21 hours and 36 minutes upon the moon (including 2 hours
and 31 minutes of outside exploration), it was time for Armstrong and
Aldrin to leave. To lighten their load, the two men threw out some
excess materials like backpacks, moon boots, urine bags, and a camera.
These fell to the moon's surface and were to remain there. Also left
behind was a plaque which read, "Here men from the planet earth first
set foot upon the moon. July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all
mankind."
The lunar module blasted off from the moon's surface at 1:54 p.m. EDT on
July 21, 1969. Everything went well and the Eagle re-docked with the
Columbia. After transferring all of their samples onto the Columbia, the
Eagle was set adrift in the moon's orbit. The Columbia, with all three
astronauts back on board, then began their three day journey back to
earth.
Splash Down
Before the Columbia command module entered the earth's atmosphere, it
separated itself from the service module. When the capsule reached
24,000 feet, three parachutes deployed to slow down the Columbia's
descent. At 12:51 p.m. EDT on July 24, the Columbia safely landed in the
Pacific Ocean, southwest of Hawaii. They landed just 13 nautical miles
from the U.S.S. Hornet that was scheduled to pick them up.
Once picked up, the three astronauts were immediately placed into
quarantine for fears of possible moon germs. Three days after being
retrieved, Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins were transferred to a
quarantine facility in Houston for further observation. On August 10,
1969, 17 days after splash down, the three astronauts were released from
quarantine and able to return to their families.
The astronauts were treated like heroes on their return. They were met
by President Nixon and given ticker-tape parades. These men had
accomplished what men had only dared to dream for thousands of years -
to walk on the moon.
