Apollo
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's challenge by becoming the first mission to land humans on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent over twenty-one hours on the lunar surface while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard the Command Module Columbia.
Launch
July 16, 1969
Duration
8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds
Crew
Uncrewed
Mission record
Apollo archive entry · Successful
Mission Overview
The mission
Apollo 11 fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's challenge by becoming the first mission to land humans on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent over twenty-one hours on the lunar surface while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard the Command Module Columbia.
Mission Details
Program
Apollo
Launch
July 16, 1969
Duration
8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds
Status
Successful
Mission by the Numbers
Mission Statistics
Mission Type
First Crewed Lunar Landing
Launch Vehicle
Saturn V AS-506
Crew
0 astronauts
Status
Successful
Mission Goals
Mission objectives
- 01
Perform the first crewed landing on the Moon.
- 02
Safely transport astronauts to lunar orbit.
- 03
Demonstrate Lunar Module descent and landing.
- 04
Conduct the first human exploration of another celestial body.
- 05
Collect lunar rock and soil samples.
- 06
Deploy scientific experiments on the Moon.
- 07
Photograph the landing site and surrounding terrain.
- 08
Evaluate astronaut mobility in one-sixth gravity.
- 09
Demonstrate Lunar Module ascent from the Moon.
- 10
Perform lunar orbit rendezvous.
- 11
Dock Eagle with Columbia.
- 12
Return lunar samples safely to Earth.
- 13
Safely recover the crew after splashdown.
- 14
Fulfill President Kennedy's lunar landing goal.
- 15
Demonstrate humanity's ability to land and return safely from another world.
Mission Timeline
May 25, 1961
Kennedy's Challenge
President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth before the decade was over.
July 16, 1969 · 9:32 a.m. EDT
Launch
Apollo 11 launched aboard Saturn V AS-506 from Launch Complex 39A, beginning humanity's first attempt to land on the Moon.
Earth Orbit
Parking Orbit
Apollo 11 entered temporary Earth orbit while engineers verified spacecraft systems before committing the crew to the Moon.
Trans-Lunar Injection
Departure from Earth
The S-IVB third stage reignited successfully, accelerating Apollo 11 toward the Moon at more than 24,000 miles per hour.
Deep Space
Transposition and Docking
Michael Collins maneuvered Columbia to dock with Eagle before extracting the Lunar Module from the S-IVB stage.
July 19, 1969
Lunar Orbit Insertion
Apollo 11 fired the Service Propulsion System behind the Moon, becoming the fifth crewed mission to enter lunar orbit.
July 20, 1969
Eagle Separates
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin undocked Eagle from Columbia while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit.
Powered Descent Initiation
Landing Begins
Eagle began its powered descent toward the Sea of Tranquility using the same landing profile rehearsed during Apollo 10.
Final Approach
1201 & 1202 Computer Alarms
During the final descent, Eagle's Apollo Guidance Computer generated several 1201 and 1202 executive overflow alarms. Guidance Officer Steve Bales and MIT engineers confirmed the computer remained capable of completing the landing, allowing Mission Control to issue the now-famous call: 'Go on that alarm.'
Final Descent
Manual Landing
Seeing that the guidance computer was steering Eagle toward a large boulder field, Neil Armstrong assumed semi-manual control and carefully flew the spacecraft farther downrange while Buzz Aldrin continuously called out altitude, velocity, and remaining fuel.
July 20, 1969 · 20:17 UTC
The Eagle Has Landed
With less than thirty seconds of usable landing fuel remaining, Eagle touched down safely in the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong radioed Mission Control, 'Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.'
Surface Operations
Preparing for EVA
The crew completed post-landing checklists, configured Eagle for surface operations, and prepared their life-support systems before opening the hatch.
July 21, 1969 · 02:56 UTC
First Human Steps on the Moon
Neil Armstrong climbed down Eagle's ladder and became the first human to walk on another celestial body, marking one of the defining moments in human history.
Minutes Later
Buzz Aldrin Joins Armstrong
Buzz Aldrin descended the ladder and became the second person to walk on the Moon. Together, the astronauts explored the landing site for approximately two and a half hours.
Lunar EVA
Scientific Exploration
Armstrong and Aldrin collected lunar rocks and soil, deployed scientific experiments, photographed the landing site, evaluated movement in one-sixth gravity, planted the American flag, and unveiled a commemorative plaque left on the Lunar Module.
After 21 Hours on the Surface
Lunar Liftoff
The ascent stage of Eagle lifted off from the Moon, leaving its descent stage behind on the surface before beginning rendezvous operations with Columbia.
Lunar Orbit
Rendezvous and Docking
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin successfully rendezvoused and docked with Michael Collins aboard Columbia. The lunar samples and crew transferred back into the Command Module before Eagle's ascent stage was jettisoned.
July 22, 1969
Trans-Earth Injection
Apollo 11 fired the Service Propulsion System, leaving lunar orbit and beginning the three-day journey home.
July 24, 1969
Reentry
Columbia safely reentered Earth's atmosphere at nearly 25,000 miles per hour before deploying its parachutes for splashdown.
July 24, 1969
Splashdown and Recovery
Apollo 11 splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, where the crew was recovered by USS Hornet. As a precaution against possible lunar contamination, the astronauts were transported into quarantine shortly after recovery.
Mission Complete
Humanity Enters a New Era
Apollo 11 fulfilled President Kennedy's 1961 challenge and demonstrated that humans could safely travel to another world, explore it, and return home.
Mission Photo Archive
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