Apollo 11 Launch | Universe Today

Written by Tega Jessa

Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to the moon. The goal of the mission was to safely convey a crew to the moon, land on it, and safely return. The Apollo 11 program was the first major breakthrough for the Apollo program in spaceflight and helped validate the United States' investment in space exploration. The mission was the product of a technological arms race called the Space Race. The rivalry for technological dominance was between the United States Space program, NASA and the Soviet Space Program. The Soviets had already made major breakthroughs by placing the first man and woman in space.

This lead to the amalgamation of political will needed in order to make the Apollo program a successful reality. TheApollo 11 launch occured after a series of unmanned and manned missions that tested almost every part of the craft and trip to the moon. Frankly without missions A through H and Apollo 1 through 10 it would have been impossible for the Apollo 11 launch to happen.

The mission actually had three astronauts instead of the two that most people commonly know. While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the two astronauts that walked on the moon, their pilot for the main space craft was Michael Collins. He remained with the main craft while Buzz Aldrin went to the surface in the lunar lander.

The total mission lasted 8 days. Apollo 11 was launched into space on July 16 1969. The lunar landing then occurred 4 days later on July 20 with Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong becoming the first two human beings to set foot on the moon. The two would spend close to a day exploring the lunar surface before returning in the lunar lander back to Apollo 11 and returning to earth on July 24.

The trip seemed simple in its objectives and execution but it represented astounding leaps in technological innovation. Many of the technologies used from integrated circuits to the manufacturing process used to make the parts for the space craft were light years ahead of what was considered possible at the time were part of what fueled the Computer Age and modern advances.

An important lesson we could take from Apollo 11 is how much can be accomplished when a nation and its brightest thinkers are focused on a common goal. Unlike other research programs like the Manhattan Project and other war time research the Apollo 11 mission and its other sister missions was a peaceful advance in technology.

If you enjoyed this article there are others at Universe Today that you will find interesting. There is another article about the first Moon landing. There is also an article about Neil Armstrong, one of the astronauts that was on the Apollo mission.

There are also some great resources online. The Smithsonian museum has a great Apollo 11 web page. You of course can also check out the NASA website.

Also check out Astronomy Cast. Episode 114 The Moon Part 2: Exploration is fascinating and has more information about the mission.

Filed under: Astronomy

Tags: Apollo 11, apollo program