On a day like today, on July 21, 49 years ago, man managed to walk on the lunar surface, an event that is important to remember, because this is part of the history of mankind.
The Apollo 11 mission was a manned space program organized by the United States and its main objective was for a human being to walk on the surface of the Moon. This mission was sent to space on July 16, 1969, that day from Cape Kennedy in the United States, the Saturn V rocket was launched, which would propel Apollo XI towards the Moon. Four days later, on July 20, the crew reaches the surface of the Moon. Everyone in the world was alert to any news about this trip, as there was some uncertainty about whether these astronauts could arrive and return from this long journey, and on July 21, the world receives the good news: "Armstrong stepped on the Luna", pronouncing his famous phrase: "A small step for man, but a great leap for humanity ". Then his partner Edwin Aldrin Jr. followed him and became the second person to walk on the surface of the Moon.
Tests to try to travel to the moon
The attempts to reach the Moon, with unmanned probes, began in 1958, the year in which EE. UU UU Launched, unsuccessfully, the Pioneer probes. In 1959, the Russians managed to crash with the Lunik probe on the lunar surface, and in the same year they photographed the hidden face of the moon with another probe, which produced a real sensation, later the probes of the North American Ranger, which crashed on the Moon's surface, he took close-up photographs of the Moon.
The trip to the Moon, a historic event of great importance for humanity
Finally, after many tests and with the help of the Lunar Orbitter series, placed in orbit around the Moon, the Americans obtained the necessary cartographic documentation for the manned moon landing, which after four tests with the spacecraft manned with Apollo VII- X, enough to schedule the first trip with the crew bound for the Moon, with the spacecraft Apollo 11.
Map data of the Moon
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The expected day for the trip to the Moon
On July 16, 1969, the trip to the moon came true, when the countdown to the takeoff of the Saturn V rocket began, and on July 20, 1969, at 21.17 Spanish time, the astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin landed. Aldrin, with the lunar module Eagle (Eagle), in the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong descended to the lunar surface on July 21, at 2:56 (UTC international time), placing his boot on the left foot on the surface, followed by Aldrin. Meanwhile, his companion Michael Collins, aboard the Columbia, remained in orbit around the Moon.
Left foot on the lunar surface
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Armstrong on the lunar surface
The Crew of the Apollo XI
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Objective of the Apollo Mission
The main objective of the mission was to take the man to the Moon, collect samples of the selenite surface and leave experimental equipment that would work after the astronauts returned to Earth.
For about two and a half hours, the astronauts walked on the lunar surface, which turned out to be firm and easily passable; They took a large number of photographs, collected about 30 kg of lunar material and placed scientific devices on the ground.
"Surrounded by footsteps, on the lunar dust, rests a panel about 60 cm wide covered by 100 mirrors pointing at the Earth: the" lunar laser measurement retroreflective matrix "(reflectors LR-3)"
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On July 21, at 18.54, the cockpit of the command module took off from the moon and on July 24 this module landed in the Pacific Ocean. However, until August 11, the three astronauts could not leave the quarantine to which they had been subjected immediately after the landing, so that possible microorganisms from the Moon could not infect the Earth.
Characteristics of the Saturn V rocket
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Return to Earth Command and Service Module
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Mission Time
The day for the takeoff was July 16, 1969, the arrival on the Moon on the 21st and the return to Earth on the 24th. In total it would be 8 days.
Contributions of the Apollo XI Mission
After this mission it was known that:
- The Moon was part of the Earth, but a planet about the size of Mars grazed the Earth's planet and the fragments that spread through space approached each other and increased to form the Moon.
- The Apolo XI mission took samples of materials that later, with a geological study, we know about the formation of the Moon.
- Also, thanks to the reflectors that were placed on the lunar surface, it was possible to know that the Moon is 3 centimeters away from the Earth.
The truth is that the journey of Apollo XI to the Moon, was undoubtedly a historical fact, which at that time caused great enthusiasm and interest in what was happening, where it was estimated that the world audience at that time, was 450 million listeners
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