This crater which was located near the point the Apollo 11 Lunar Module (LM) touched down on the moon was photographed by the Apollo 11 astronauts during their lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA). Dark shadows obscure much of the crater wall in the background. Michael Collins, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit while Neil A. Armstrong, commander, and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot, explored the moon. The object in the foreground is the Apollo 11 35mm stereo close-up camera. Image: NASA image and video library
On July 16 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on a journey to the moon and into history.
Four days later, while Collins orbited the moon in the command module, Armstrong and Aldrin landed Apollo 11’s lunar module, Eagle, on the moon’s Sea of Tranquility, becoming the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface, Alberton Record reports.
On July 20, 1969, with the simple words “the eagle has landed”, John F. Kennedy’s dream of seeing man walk on the moon before 1970 came true. Unfortunately, JFK did not live long enough to hear Neil Armstrong say those famous words which calmly came over the static-filled speakers at NASA’s Mission Control in Houston, as he had been assassinated in 1963.
The phrase “The eagle has landed” was second in importance as far as the world was concerned to Armstrong’s famous words: “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”
But as far as the mission was concerned, it was really his announcement of landing the module in the Sea of Tranquility that was important, due to the difficulty in landing the craft. Had they not managed the landing successfully, there would not have been anyone walking on the moon, planting a flag or making any statements at all.
On July 16, Apollo 11 Launch Reflection at Pad 39A will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins will reunite at the historic launch pad where Apollo 11 began its mission 50 years ago for a question-and-answer session with Kennedy Centre Director Bob Cabana, beginning at 9.15am EDT.
This will be followed by a visit to the Launch Control Centre and Firing Room 1 to connect with Apollo-era launch controllers and those who will launch the Artemis missions that are part of America’s Moon to Mars approach for human space exploration.
NASA and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum are hosting the Apollo 50 Festival, a free three-day event on the National Mall in Washington from July 18 to 20. The event will include exhibits, speakers, demonstrations and fun activities for families. NASA researchers, scientists and engineers will showcase NASA’s newest technologies and innovations that will take space exploration to the Moon and on to Mars.
Picture: NASA
The U.S. Postal Service will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and humanity’s first steps on the Moon with two Forever stamps.
On July 19, NASA’s Giant Leaps: Past and Future will air at 1pm to 3pm EDT on NASA TV and the agency’s website, and will be simulcast on the Discovery Science Channel. Hosted from the agency’s Kennedy Space Centre, the show will salute the heroes of Apollo and discuss the agency’s future plans.
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