On 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module Eagle in the Sea of Tranquility, while Michael Collins orbited the Moon in the command module Columbia. A few hours later, Armstrong became the first person to step onto the surface of another world. The anniversary is a good moment to look at what the mission achieved and how it connects to today's return to the Moon.
Before Apollo 11: the first Moon missions
Apollo 11 was the first crewed landing, but not the first mission to the Moon. According to NASA, the Soviet Union’s Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to fly by the Moon in 1959, and Luna 9 achieved the first soft landing in 1966. Apollo 11 followed with the first human landing in 1969.
The mission
Apollo 11 launched on 16 July 1969 from Kennedy Space Center on a Saturn V rocket. After the landing, Armstrong and Aldrin spent about two and a half hours outside the lunar module, collected rock and soil samples, set up experiments and planted the US flag, as shown on the cover image. The crew returned safely to Earth on 24 July 1969 with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
The technical achievement
- The Saturn V: a three stage rocket built to send a crew and two spacecraft on a path to the Moon.
- Lunar orbit rendezvous: a separate lander descended to the surface and later rejoined the command module in lunar orbit, which saved mass compared with landing the whole spacecraft.
- Guidance and computing: onboard computers supported navigation and landing at a time when computing power was extremely limited.
The legacy
Apollo returned lunar samples that are still studied today and proved that humans can live and work on another celestial body. The programme also created much of the industrial base and know-how of the space sector.
From Apollo to Artemis
NASA's Artemis programme aims to return astronauts to the Moon, this time with international partners and commercial providers. Commercial landers are already delivering science payloads to the lunar surface, and the logistics needed to support a sustained presence on the Moon are becoming a new market.
Related reading
- Commercial Lunar Deliveries: How NASA Buys Rides to the Moon
- Rocket Staging Explained: Why Rockets Drop Parts on the Way to Orbit
- Artemis Accords Pass 75 Signatories: Croatia, Côte d’Ivoire and San Marino Join
Sources
Cover image: Buzz Aldrin next to the US flag on the Moon during Apollo 11, photographed by Neil Armstrong. Credit: NASA (AS11-40-5875), public domain.