Manned Flights

Manned Space Flights

In 1969, humans accomplished the long-awaited goal of truly landing on the moon. On July 16, Apollo 11 was launched. After entering the moon’s orbit, astronauts Air Force member Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., and Neil A. Armstrong conveyed to the lunar module (LM). The civilian ,Armstrong, was a navy veteran. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Collins stayed in lunar orbit after the separation, piloting the service and command module. The LM made it’s way down to the lunar surface on July 20, landing by the edge of Mare Tranquilitatis. Some hours later, Armstrong, in his cumbersome space suit, went down the ladder and, at 10:56 PM (Eastern Daylight Time) walked onto the lunar surface. Armstrong’s first words were, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."


Armstrong's famous quote

Armstrong was soon acompained by Aldrin, for over two hours, the two astronauts spent there time walking on the surface of the moon. They collected 47 lb ( 21 kg) of soil samples, took pictures, and set up a laser-beam reflector, solar wind experiment, and a seismic experiment package. Aldrin and Armstrong also constructed an American flag and talked, with the help satellite communications, to U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, who was in the White House. They found that running and walking at one-sixth the earth’s gravity was not difficult. Also with the help of satellite communications, millions of people got to watch live television broadcasts from the lunar surface. Returning to the LM and taking off their space suits, the two astronauts relaxed several hours before takeoff. They departed from the lunar surface in the ascent stage of the LM, applying the lower half, which was left on the lunar surface, as a launchpad. The ascent stage was jettisoned right after docking with the service and command module and the translocation of the astronauts into the spacecraft. The return of Apollo 11 was without misfortune and the craft splashed down on July 24 and was recovered in the Pacific Ocean close to Hawaii.


Apollo 11 Patch

Because of the small possibility of terrestrial contamination by organisms living on the lunar surface, the astronauts wore biological isolation garments as they left the spacecraft and were put under quarantine for three weeks. They stayed in good health. The Apollo 11 flight captivated great interest around the world. This was truly a signaled first step for a growth in technogy and evolution.


American flag put on moon

Apollo 12
Apollo 13
Apollo 14
Apollo 15
Apollo 16
Apollo 17

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