[132] The schedule for the mission called for the astronauts to follow the landing with a five-hour sleep period, but they chose to begin preparations for the EVA early, thinking they would be unable to sleep. LGC address 413 contained the variable that indicated the LM had landed. [185] At 16:44 UTC (05:44 local time) Columbia's drogue parachutes were deployed. [103][98] President Richard Nixon viewed the launch from his office in the White House with his NASA liaison officer, Apollo astronaut Frank Borman. Aldrin followed Armstrong down the ladder. For a skip-out re-entry, P65 and P66 were employed to handle the exit and entry parts of the skip. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours and 39 minutes later on July 21 at 02:56 UTC; Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later. [79], NASA's Apollo Site Selection Board announced five potential landing sites on February 8, 1968. But why, some say, the Moon? [55] Armstrong did not agree with the assessment, and said "... all the crews I was on worked very well together. https://www.history.com/topics/space-exploration/moon-landing-1969. Millions more around the world listened to radio broadcasts. On arrival aboard Hornet, the party was greeted by the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC), Admiral John S. McCain Jr., and NASA Administrator Thomas O. Paine, who flew to Hornet from Pago Pago in one of Hornet's carrier onboard delivery aircraft. [3], The S-IVB third stage of Saturn V AS-506 had arrived on January 18, followed by the S-II second stage on February 6, S-IC first stage on February 20, and the Saturn V Instrument Unit on February 27. After firing and jettisoning two of the Saturn V’s three engines, the spacecraft entered Earth’s orbit at nearly 120 miles above the surface. "[172][173], The responsibility for this flight lies first with history and with the giants of science who have preceded this effort; next with the American people, who have, through their will, indicated their desire; next with four administrations and their Congresses, for implementing that will; and then, with the agency and industry teams that built our spacecraft, the Saturn, the Columbia, the Eagle, and the little EMU, the spacesuit and backpack that was our small spacecraft out on the lunar surface. These were the result of two years' worth of studies based on high-resolution photography of the lunar surface by the five uncrewed probes of the Lunar Orbiter program and information about surface conditions provided by the Surveyor program. On July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin (1930-) became the first humans ever to land on the moon. Mosaic of … Nearly 240,000 miles from Earth, Armstrong spoke these words to more than a billion people listening at home: "That's ...read more, A half-century ago, NASA was preparing feverishly for a moon landing in a race against the former Soviet Union. [10] Collins, alone aboard Columbia, inspected Eagle as it pirouetted before him to ensure the craft was not damaged, and that the landing gear was correctly deployed. On subsequent missions, extra anti-slosh baffles were added to the tanks to prevent this. Armstrong, a 38-year-old civilian research pilot, was the commander of the mission. [117], During the mission, the cause was diagnosed as the rendezvous radar switch being in the wrong position, causing the computer to process data from both the rendezvous and landing radars at the same time. He then folded the bag and tucked it into a pocket on his right thigh. Below is a timeline of the historic Apollo 11 flight from launch to splashdown. Two and a half hours later, at 17:54:00 UTC, they lifted off in Eagle's ascent stage to rejoin Collins aboard Columbia in lunar orbit. Neufeld says that this was another nail-biter moment for folks like him watching at home. [211][212], New phrases permeated into the English language. But he gave "a crisp West Point salute". Three seconds later, Eagle landed and Armstrong shut the engine down. [232][233][234], The descent stage of the LM Eagle remains on the Moon.