Tag Archives: Apollo 11

21 July 1969, 02:56:15 UTC, T + 109:24:15

July 21, 2023Space FlightApollo 11, Apollo Program, Astronaut, Eagle, First Step, LM-5, Lunar Landing, Lunar Module, Manned Space Flight, Moon Landing, Moon Shot, NASA, Neil A. Armstrong, Neil Alden Armstrong, Neil ArmstrongBryan Swopes

Apollo 11 Lunar Module, with Neil Armstrong, first step, 0256 UTC 21 July 1969 — Neil Armstrong steps onto the Moon, 10:56:15 p.m. EDT, 20 July 1969. (NASA)

10:56:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Sunday, 20 July 1969 (02:56:15, 21 July 1969 UTC): 109 hours, 24 minutes, 15 seconds after the Apollo 11/Saturn V was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, NASA Astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong set foot on the surface of the Moon.

“That’s one small step for a man. . . one giant leap for mankind.”

This was the most significant event in the history of mankind.

Neil Alden Armstrong inside the Lunar Module on the surface of the Moon, 20 July 1969 — Neil Alden Armstrong inside the Lunar Module *Eagle* on the surface of the Moon, 21 July 1969. (Edwin E. Aldrin/NASA)

20 July 1969, 20:17:39 UTC, T + 102:45:39.9

July 20, 2023Space FlightApollo 11, Buzz Aldrin, Eagle, Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr, LM-5, Lunar Landing, Manned Space Flight, Mare Tranquillitatis, Moon Shot, NASA, Neil Alden Armstrong, Tranquility BaseBryan Swopes

Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle shortly after separation from the Command and Service Module, in orbit around the Moon, 20 July 1969. (Michael Collins/National Aeronautics and Space Administration AS11-44-6598) — Apollo 11 LM -5, *Eagle*, just after separation from the Command/Service Module in Lunar Orbit, 20 July 1969. (Michael Collins/NASA)

102:45:25 Aldrin: Four forward. Four forward. Drifting to the right a little. Twenty feet, down a half.

102:45:31 Duke: Thirty seconds (until the ‘Bingo’ call).

102:45:32 Aldrin: Drifting forward just a little bit; that’s good.

(Pause)

102:45:40 Aldrin: Contact Light.

102:45:43 Armstrong: Shutdown.

102:45:44 Aldrin: Okay. Engine Stop.

102:45:45 Aldrin: ACA out of Detent.

102:45:46 Armstrong: Out of Detent. Auto.

102:45:47 Aldrin: Mode Control, both Auto. Descent Engine Command Override, Off. Engine Arm, Off. Four-thirteen is in.

102:45:57 Duke: We copy you down, Eagle.

102:45:58 Armstrong: Engine arm is off. (Pause) Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.

Tranquility Base. The shadow of the Lunar Module Eagle cast of the surface of Mare Tranquillitaris, 20 Jukt 1969. (Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr./National Aeornautics and Space Administration AS11-37-5454) — The shadow of the LM *Eagle* cast on the lunar surface at Mare Tranquillitatis, 20 July 1969. The hills are raised portions of the rim of a 200 meter crater and are about 200 meters from the LM. (Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr./NASA)

20 July 1969, 18:12:01 UTC, T + 100:40:01.9

July 20, 2023Space FlightApollo 11, Apollo Program, Astronauts, Command and Service Module, Eagle, Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr, Lunar Landing, Lunar Module, Manned Space Flight, Michael Collins, Moon Landing, Moon Shot, NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Neil Alden ArmstrongBryan Swopes

The Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle shortly after separation from teh Command and Service Module, in orbit around the Moon, 20 July 1969. (NASA) — The Apollo 11 Lunar Module *Eagle*, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin aboard, shortly after separation from the Command and Service Module, in orbit around the Moon, 20 July 1969. (Michael Collins, NASA)

20 July 1969, 18:12:01 UTC, T + 100 hours, 40 minutes, 1.9 seconds: The Lunar Module Eagle completes the separation maneuver, moving away from the Apollo 11 Command and Service Module Columbia.

19 July 1969, 22:42 UTC, T + 81:10

July 19, 2023Space FlightApollo 11, Apollo Program, Astronauts, Buzz Aldrin, Eagle, Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr, LMP, Lunar Landing, Lunar Module, Manned Space Flight, NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Neil Alden ArmstrongBryan Swopes

Aldrin, Edwin Eugene, Jr., Colonel, United States Air Force, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Astronaut, in the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, Eagle, 20 July 1969. (Neil Alden Armstrong/National Aeronautics and Space Administration AS11 36-5390) — Colonel Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr., United States Air Force, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Astronaut, in the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, Eagle, 20 July 1969. (Neil Alden Armstrong/NASA)

19 July 1969, 22:42 UTC, T + 81 hours, 10 minutes: Just over 58 minutes since the Apollo 11 spacecraft entered a circular orbit around the Moon, Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin entered the Lunar Module Eagle to power it up and start systems checks in preparation for the descent to the Lunar surface.

16 July 1969, 16:16:16 UTC, T + 02:44:16.2

July 16, 2023Space FlightApollo, Apollo 11, Apollo Program, Go for TLI, Manned Space Flight, Rocketdyne J-2, S-IVB, Saturn S-IVB, Saturn V, Trans Lunar InjectionBryan Swopes

This 1966 illustration depicts the J-2 engine of the S-IVB third stage firing to send the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. (NASA)

16 July 1969: At 16:16:16 UTC, T+02:44:16.2, the Apollo 11 S-IVB third stage engine reignited for the Trans Lunar Injection maneuver.

One of the necessary features of the Rocketdyne J-2 engine was its ability to restart. The third stage was first used to place the Apollo 11 spacecraft into Earth orbit and was then shutdown. When the mission was ready to proceed toward the Moon, the J-2 was re-started. Using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for propellant, Apollo 11′s S-IVB burned for 5 minutes, 41.01 seconds, with the spacecraft reaching a maximum 1.45 Gs just before engine cut off. The engine was shut down at T+02:50:03.03. Trans Lunar Injection was at 16:22:13 UTC.

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