It's been more than 50 years since Apollo 11 first landed on the moon on a mission.
This downward process led to an unprecedented period of technological progress and succeeded in consolidating the technological prowess of the United States of America.
An event of enormous international importance, Neil Armstrong's tentative first steps on the moon on July 20,1969 will inspire generations, by observing him at the time.
the surface of the moon
1. It took men more than 4 days to reach the moon
Apollo 11 Saturn 5 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 09:36 on July 16, 1969 with three astronauts on board, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. The flight to the moon took 4 days, 6 hours and 45 minutes, and finally landed on July 20, 1969.
2. The astronauts encountered some problems before landing
The trip to the moon wasn't just an easy sail. Before landing, a series of warning messages sounded that none of the astronauts had heard before.
The alarms were caused by “executive excesses” as a result of the steering computer not being able to complete all its tasks and having to postpone some of them. After checking the alarm, computer technicians on the ground assured the crew that they could land safely.
However, this was not the last of the problems the crew encountered. The loss of radio communication between the lunar module and mission control meant that the mission was on the verge of aborting. Although Aldrin tuned the antenna and ground control in an effort to solve the problem, wireless communications continued to fade in and out.
3. The astronauts did not land at the planned location
the surface of the moon
As soon as one problem was solved, another problem popped up. Due to the Moon's gravity and some extra speed gained, Armstrong and Aldrin lost their landing site by about 4 miles and instead encountered a rough terrain valley scene and truck-sized craters.
Armstrong had to find a smooth place to land and quickly...
4. Armstrong had 60 seconds to land the lunar module
Dwindling fuel supplies (only 5% of fuel remaining) meant that Armstrong would have just 60 seconds to land on the lunar module before having to cancel the mission, a difficult mission made worse by an unplanned deflection. Fortunately, Armstrong managed to land just seconds before.
5. The unit stayed on the surface of the moon for 21 hours and 36 minutes
Armstrong was the first man to step on the moon, followed 20 minutes later by Aldrin. Of the 21 hours and 36 minutes he spent on the lunar surface, Armstrong and Aldrin spent 5.2 hours outside the unit collecting data, conducting experiments and taking pictures.
The Surface of the moon
They also erected the American flag, a mission that proved more difficult than expected as they struggled to jam the pole into the moon's solid surface. Although they managed to plant the shaft about 18 cm deep, Aldrin stated that the flag was later toppled by the engine exhaust when Apollo 11 took off.
Images taken by the Orbiter Reconnaissance Lunar in 2012 showed that at least 5 of the six American flags that were flown during the Apollo missions were still standing. However, scientists believe that decades of sunlight have bleached their colours. While co-pilots were exploring the moon, Michael Collins was alone in orbit for more than 21 hours, commanding the command module. For 48 minutes from each orbit of the moon, he was out of radio communication with the Earth.
6. The astronauts were scattered on the ground
On July 24, 1969, Saturn 5 plunged into the Pacific Ocean, 44 hours after leaving lunar orbit. The aircraft and its crew were salvaged by the aircraft carrier USS Hornet.
The divers then attached an anchor to the craft and passed biological isolation suits on to the astronauts before helping them into a survival craft. Due to the risk of pathological contamination, precautions were taken at every stage of recovery and the astronauts were placed in quarantine for 21 days.
The practice continued on two other missions before it was deemed unnecessary.