"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11
Fast Facts
Information:
1. Astronauts: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins2. This was the first manned mission to successfully reach the moon.
3. The American flag that was planted on the moon by the astronauts was made by Sears.
4. Apollo 11 was launched at the same time of the Soviet's Sputnik.
5. President John F. Kennedy was more interested in the Space Race than he was of what the astronauts would find in space.
6. When Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins returned back to Earth, they were placed in quarantine because scientists were inconclusive about space germs entering Earth.
Significance:
1. Apollo 11 was the first mission to successfully place men on the moon.2. Neil Armstrong marked the occasion with his famous quote: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Crew:
Pictured Left to Right1. Neil Armstrong (Mission Commander)
2. Michael Collins (Command Module Pilot)
3. Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin (Lunar Module Pilot)
Day 1 - July 16th, 1969
The first day of the mission, the Saturn V rocket is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida. It carries 3 astronauts: Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin. Three stages of the Saturn V rocket are activated and the first two jettisoned until the spacecraft begins Earth orbit. After a full trip around the Earth, the third stage rockets fire again, and the astronauts are sent on their lunar trajectory. After a time, the third stage rocket is jettisoned to remove it from the flight path. On course for the moon, the astronauts go to sleep and prepare for the next day.
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