Spotlight: Man on the Moon

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong made “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," when he became the first human to walk on the moon. The Apollo 11 mission launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on July 16, 1969.  At that time, Cape Canaveral was actually named Cape Kennedy, having been renamed from 1963 to 1973 to honor President John F. Kennedy’s commitment to space exploration following his assassination.  It was President Kennedy who, in 1961, set the goal for the U.S. to take a clear leading role in its on-going space race with the Soviet Union by landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth before the decade was out. July 1969 saw the achievement of that goal.

The Apollo 11 crew consisted of three NASA astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins.  Armstrong served as commander of the mission. Following launch, the spacecraft travelled for three days before reaching lunar orbit. Armstrong and Aldrin moved from the spacecraft’s command module, named “Columbia, ”to the lunar module, named “Eagle.” Collins stayed behind, piloting the Columbia in lunar orbit. The lunar module with Armstrong and Aldrin aboard was undocked from the command module and began its two hour descent to the surface of the moon. At approximately 4:00 p.m. EDT, the lunar module touched down on the moon’s surface in an area known as the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong radioed back to mission control in Houston, stating “The Eagle has landed.”

Armstrong and Aldrin did not exit the lunar module until over six hours later. July 20, 1969 was a Sunday. Aldrin privately took communion with bread and wine that he brought from his Presbyterian church in Houston before exiting the lunar module. At 10:56 p.m. EDT, Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon. Aldrin followed about twenty minutes later. The men spent approximately two hours and fifteen minutes walking on the moon, during which they carried out various experiments, took photographs, collected rock and soil samples, and had a telephone-radio call with President Richard Nixon at the White House. Armstrong and Aldrin planted an America flag on the moon’s surface. The flag itself was an ordinary government issue, three by five foot flag, but special mechanisms were employed, including a rod inserted in a hemmed pocket at the top of the flag to make it appear as if the flag were waving despite the lack of air on the moon. The Eagle was equipped with a camera, which sent a television signal back to earth. NASA estimates that over 500 million people globally watched the feed from the moon. In the U.S., 53 million households, with was 63% of the population, tuned in.

After completing their tasks, Armstrong and Aldrin returned to the lunar module to begin the journey home. The Eagle reunited with command module Columbia a little after 5:30 p.m. EDT on July 21^st. Armstrong and Aldrin transferred themselves and their equipment into the command module. The lunar module was abandoned into lunar orbit, and the Columbia began its journey home.

The three astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969, where they were retrieved by the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. They were quarantined for three weeks as a precaution against bringing any contagion back from the moon.  After that, the country was happy to welcome the men home. Celebrations continued throughout the fall of 1969, including parades, the dedication of a commemorative postage stamp, the unveiling of a moon rock display at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and a 38-day around the world Goodwill Tour where the astronauts and their wives visited 29 cities in 24 different countries. NASA estimates that more than 100 million people saw the Apollo 11crew during the tour and they shook hands with an estimated 25,000 people.

In a 1962 speech, President Kennedy stated, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” The U.S. went on to complete five more crewed missions to the moon. A total of twelve astronauts, all Americans, have walked on the moon. The Apollo 11 moon landing represents a benchmark in exploration, engineering, and human determination. It brought with it many advances in technology, including significant developments relating to rockets, communication devices, and computers. Those who witnessed the fuzzy black and white television footage of Armstrong and Aldrin from July 20, 1969 can give testament to the great ingenuity and dedication that allowed the U.S. to put a man on the moon.