NASA Tell me they brought some tunes with them Those moon rocks and other samples, from all the Apollo missions, helped scientists get a better understanding of the moon's origins.įlight controllers at NASA's Mission Control celebrate on July 24, 1969, as the Apollo 11 astronauts return to Earth. The sample included basalt (from molten lava), breccia (fragments of older rocks) and anorthosite (surface rock that may have been part of an ancient crust). The Apollo 11 crew brought back 22 kilograms (almost 50 pounds) of lunar material, including rocks, modest core samples and that dusty lunar soil that's so great for making footprints. They left behind an American flag, some of the most famous footprints in history, a coin-size silicon disc etched in microscopic detail with messages from world leaders and a small plaque saying "We came in peace for all mankind."Īrmstrong may have the most famous lines from the mission, and Collins the best book (Carrying the Fire), but Aldrin nailed the description of the moonscape: " magnificent desolation." Those moon rocks were a pretty big deal, right? ![]() They also set up a couple of rudimentary experiments, one to measure seismic activity and another as a target for Earth-based lasers to measure the Earth-moon distance precisely, which returned data for 71 days. Venturing no more than 300 feet from the LM and working under a 200-degree sun, Armstrong and Aldrin - like tourists everywhere - took lots of photos and video, and gathered souvenirs in the form of moon rocks and soil samples. They were on the moon for 21 hours, 36 minutes (including seven hours of sleep) total before returning to orbit to rejoin the third member of the crew, Michael Collins, 38, who'd been waiting, watching and worrying. ![]() He was outside for about 2.5 hours, with Aldrin, 39, joining him for about 1.5 hours. The CSM had three parts: the command module (CM), with the classic "space capsule" shape and containing the crew's quarters and flight controls the expendable service module (SM), which provided propulsion and support systems and the lunar module (LM), which looked like a geometry project with spindly legs and which took two astronauts to the lunar surface while a third remained in the CM.Ībout four hours later, Armstrong, 38 years old, stepped out, just before 11 p.m. The lunar missions lifted off atop a Saturn V rocket, to date the most powerful ever.Īfter separation from the Saturn rocket, the astronauts continued to the moon in the command service module. No single space project in this period will be more exciting, or more impressive, or more important for the long-range exploration of space and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish." How did the astronauts get there? Kennedy made a brash declaration: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. Gary Cooper of Belfast, Maine, created the winning design in the Apollo 11 Commemorative Coin Design Competition.Then, on May 25, 1961, President John F. The Secretary of the Treasury selected the design from a juried competition. About the CompetitionĪs required by the Public Law, the Mint invited American artists to design a common obverse image that is emblematic of the United States Space Program leading up to the first manned Moon landing. In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the first manned landing on the Moon, Public Law 114-282 authorizes a four-coin program: a curved $5 gold coin, a curved $1 silver coin, a curved half-dollar clad coin, and a curved 5 ounce $1 silver proof coin. ![]() ![]() Nearly half a century later, the United States is the only country ever to have attempted and succeeded in landing humans on a celestial body other than Earth and safely returning them home. The Apollo 11 crew-Armstrong, Aldrin, and Michael Collins-safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969, fulfilling the national goal set in 1961 by President John F. took mankind’s first steps on the Moon. This unprecedented engineering, scientific, and political achievement was the culmination of the efforts of an estimated 400,000 Americans and secured our Nation’s leadership in space for generations to come. The world eagerly watched on July 20, 1969, as Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” E.
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