Introduction / Mission Objective Apollo 11 was the first mission to land humans on the Moon. Launched July 16, 1969, fulfilling President Kennedy's 1961 goal.
Crew & Spacecraft Neil Armstrong (Commander), Buzz Aldrin (Lunar Module Pilot), Michael Collins (Command Module Pilot). Apollo spacecraft: Command Module, Service Module, Lunar Module.
Launch & Rocket Stages Launch Vehicle: Saturn V rocket. Stage 1: S-IC booster lifted spacecraft off Earth. Stage 2: S-II propelled into space. Stage 3: S-IVB placed Apollo in Earth orbit and fired for lunar trajectory.
Translunar Journey After Earth orbit, Apollo 11 performed translunar injection (TLI). Journey to Moon took about 3 days with mid-course corrections.
Lunar Orbit & Separation Apollo 11 entered lunar orbit. Armstrong and Aldrin separated in the Lunar Module 'Eagle'. Collins stayed in the Command Module 'Columbia'.
Descent & Landing on Moon July 20, 1969: Eagle descended to surface. Computer alarms appeared but mission continued. Armstrong radioed: 'The Eagle has landed.'
Moonwalk / EVA Neil Armstrong first stepped on Moon: 'One small step for [a] man...' Buzz Aldrin followed. 2.5-hour EVA: collected samples, set up experiments, took photos.
Ascent & Return to Earth After ~21.6 hours, Eagle’s ascent stage launched. Docked with Collins in orbit. Command Module returned them to Earth.
Splashdown & Recovery July 24, 1969: Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Astronauts were quarantined for 21 days to prevent contamination.
Mission Timeline Summary July 16: Launch July 19: Entered lunar orbit July 20: Lunar landing & moonwalk July 21: Lunar ascent & docking July 24: Splashdown on Earth
Significance & Legacy Apollo 11 proved humans could reach and return from the Moon. Inspired future space exploration. A giant leap for mankind.
Videos of Apollo 11 Apollo 11 Moon Landing (Restored): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOcDftgR5UQ Historic Apollo 11 Moonwalk Footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR3oXFFISI0 Annotated Apollo 11 Journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCjhCL2iqlQ