Explore the Apollo 11 Mission
With Google Maps Moon, The NASA Video
and Image Libraries, and Google Arts & Culture
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Liftoff
On the morning of July 16,
1969 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz"
Aldrin sat inside the command module
of the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket. At 9:30 AM, mission control started the final
countdown sequence for lift-off. The astronauts inside reported all systems a
“go.” At 9 seconds before lift-off, the rocket’s ignition system was started.
3…2…1…0… liftoff. The
Apollo 11 mission began its 8-day journey to put the first man on the Moon.
The Saturn V rocket pushed
the astronauts through Earth’s atmosphere and into space with three different
rocket engines, called stages. The first two stages thrust them into space,
while the third helped the Apollo spacecraft orbit Earth
and slingshot towards the Moon.
After 1 ½ orbits around earth
the third engine was used up and separated from the Columbia spacecraft.
Immediately after separation, the astronauts turned the command module around
and attached the lunar module to the front of the command module. All three
parts flew to the moon connected together as one spacecraft.
Lunar Descent
Once the spacecraft reached
the Moon the astronauts guided it into lunar orbit. They used this time to photograph the lunar surface and plan their descent. After 30 orbits around the
moon Armstrong and Aldrin boarded the Eagle Lunar Lander, separated from the command module, and descended to the surface. Astronaut Collins remained alone in the command and
service module, orbiting above the moon for the duration of surface operations.
Throughout the descent Aldrin called out navigation data to Armstrong, who was
piloting the lander. A few moments before the landing, a light informed Aldrin
that at least one of the 67-inch probes hanging from Eagle's footpads had
touched the surface, and he called out: "Contact light!" Three
seconds later, Eagle landed and Armstrong said, "Houston, Tranquility Base
here. The Eagle has landed."
Surface Operations
The astronauts spent two
hours after touchdown looking out their windows and planning the surface mission. After all checks
were complete a hatch on the side of the lander opened and Armstrong emerged
onto a ladder. While still on the ladder, Armstrong uncovered a plaque mounted on
the lunar module bearing drawings of Earth and an message for any future visitors
to read. Armstrong stepped off Eagle's ladder and declared, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for
mankind."
Twelve minutes after Neil
Armstrong set foot on the moon he was Link Example 1.
The two astronauts spent over 2 hours on the surface collecting soil and rock samples, erecting an American flag, conducting a solar wind experiment, and setting up seismographic equipment to
take readings of the moon’s movement. All of their actions were recorded by a video camera and broadcast on live TV back on Earth. The astronauts
inspected and photographed the Lunar Landing Module so NASA engineers would be able to judge its post-landing condition.
Armstrong walked the farthest from the craft in order to photograph a crater. He said
that moving in the lunar gravity was "easier than the simulations ... It's
absolutely no trouble to walk around." Aldrin joined him on the surface
and tested ways to move around, including two-footed kangaroo hops. Their
spacesuit and equipment was heavy and would tip backwards, but both astronauts
were able to keep balance, even though the fine lunar soil was quite slippery.
Lunar Ascent and Return
After just over 2 hours on
the surface, lunar operations had come to an end. Aldrin returned to the Eagle
first. The astronauts loaded film and 47.5 pounds of moon rocks
onto the module. Equipment that was not needed for the return flight, such as a
camera, boots, and backpacks, were left on the moon to lighten the load. After
both astronauts were back onboard
the hatch was closed and the they got some much needed sleep. Armstrong and
Aldrin blasted off from the lunar surface 22 hours after The Eagle had landed.
After the Eagle Lunar Module
successfully docked with Columbia, Aldrin and Armstrong were reunited with
Collins in the Command and Service Module. Since it was no longer needed, The
Lunar Module was jettisoned, or let go, from the spacecraft. The Eagle spent an
undetermined amount of time orbiting the moon before finally crashing into its
surface at an unknown location.
The Columbia Command Module
entered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down
in the Pacific Ocean 3 days after Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon. A
Navy ship located Columbia and extracted the astronauts. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins were quarantined in a special module aboard the ship for 21 days, just in case any foreign
bacteria or contaminants were brought back from the Moon. President Richard Nixon was aboard the ship to personally welcome the
astronauts back to Earth. He told the astronauts, "As a result of what
you've done, the world has never been closer together.”
On July 20, 2009, the crew of
Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins met with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House for the 40th
anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. "We expect that there is, as we
speak, another generation of kids out there who are looking up at the sky and
are going to be the next Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin", Obama said.
"We want to make sure that NASA is going to be there for them when they
want to take their journey.”
|
Apollo 11 Liftoff (5:49) |
|
One Small Step For Man (2:38) |
|
Raising the American Flag (47:00) |
|
Aldrin Demonstrates
Walking (51:28) |
|
Lunar Ascent, Rendezvous with Columbia, &
Splashdown (36:06) |
1. Put the following mission events in order:
Astronauts Aldrin
and Armstrong spend 2 hours conducting experiments on the Moon’s surface.
The Eagle lifts
off from the moon and reconnects with the Columbia, orbiting above the Moon.
The Saturn V
Launch Vehicle carries the astronauts through the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Command
Module reentered Earth’s orbit and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean
safely.
The Lunar Module
is attached to the front of the Command Module for the flight to the Moon.
Armstrong and
Aldrin board the Lunar Module and separate from the Command Module.
2. Click this link to visit
Google Maps Moon. How many total Apollo missions put humans on the Moon?
4. Read this set of instructions that were
followed before exiting the Lunar Lander. What actions did the astronauts take
to ensure they were protected while on the Moon’s surface?
5. This link contains part of the mission debrief that
the astronauts participated in. What two problems did Aldrin and Armstrong have
when trying to land the Eagle? How did the astronauts describe the landing?
6. What are the dark lines visible on the Lunar
surface?
7. Use the scale on the bottom right of this Google Moon
map. How far did Armstrong walk from the Lunar Module to
photograph the Little West Crater?
8. Columbia splashed down near Johnston
Atoll, a US Minor Outlying Island. Where is Johnston Atoll?
