Landing on the Moon

The Apollo 11 Crew

The Apollo 11 crew from left to right: Neil Armstrong, Commander; Michael Collins, command module pilot; and , Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot. The Launch President Kennedy challenged the nation to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 launched from the Kennedy Space Center.

The Moon Landing

On July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon. He said  "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." A camera in the Lunar Module provided live television coverage as Neil Armstrong climbed down the ladder to the surface of the moon. Walking on the Moon To walk on the moon's surface, the astronauts needed to wear a space suit with a back mounted, portable life support system. This controlled the oxygen, temperature and pressure inside the suit. On the surface, the astronauts had to get used to the reduced gravity. They could jump very high compared to on Earth. The crew spend a total of two and a half hours on the moon's surface. While on the moon's surface, the performed a variety of experiments and collected soil and rock samples to return to Earth.

Returning to Earth

After re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, parachutes opened to safely lower the Columbia into the Pacific Ocean. After landing in the Ocean, the crew were retrieved by a helicopter and taken to the recovery ship, the "USS Hornet." The crew and lunar samples were placed in quarantine until their health and safety could be confirmed. The Command Module "Columbia" returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. Apollo 11 had successfully completed its mission. President Kennedy's objective to land men on the moon and return them safely to Earth had been accomplished.