Apollo 11

Apollo 11 was a space mission as part of the Apollo program, the U.S. space agency NASA and the first manned flight to the moon, which had a landing and a safe return to Earth to target. The mission was successful and fulfilled in 1961 issued by U.S. President John F. Kennedy task to the nation before the end of the decade, a man to the moon and back safely bring to earth.

The three astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin " Buzz " Aldrin and Michael Collins launched on 16 July 1969, a Saturn V rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 19 and reached lunar orbit. While Collins remained in the command module of the spaceship Columbia, Armstrong and Aldrin continued the next day with the lunar module Eagle on the Earth's satellite. A few hours later, Armstrong became the first man to the moon, Aldrin shortly thereafter. After a nearly 22 - hour stay, the lander launched again from the lunar surface and returned to the mother ship. After returning to Earth, the Columbia splashed down some 25 kilometers from the recovery ship USS Hornet located in the Pacific south of Johnston Atoll with the three astronauts on 24 July.

In the television broadcast of the moon landing in 1969 around 600 million people watched the event around the world.

• 2.1 Mission Profile
• 2.2 Selection of the team
• 2.3 Selection of the landing site

• 4.1 Departure
• 4.2 lunar landing
• 4.3 On the Moon
• 4.4 Return
• 4.5 Back on Earth

Crew

Commander of the Apollo 11 mission was Neil Armstrong. He was initially a combat aircraft pilot in the U.S. Navy before he worked as a test pilot of many high-speed aircraft such as the X-15 at NASA. When he was admitted to the second group of NASA astronauts in 1962, he was therefore one of the first civilian U.S. astronauts. His first space flight made ​​Armstrong with Gemini 8 in March 1966, in which the first coupling was carried out between two spacecraft.

Pilot of the lunar module was Edwin " Buzz " Aldrin, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force. It was in 1963 a member of the third group of NASA astronauts, after he had participated with the Air Force in the Korean War and received a doctorate in aerospace engineering. In November 1966 Aldrin was started with Gemini 12 for the first time to a space flight, during which he three times completed a spacewalk.

Pilot of the command module was Michael Collins, a lieutenant colonel and former fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. How Aldrin he belonged to the third group of NASA astronauts in 1963. First space experience gathered Collins in July 1966, when he was with Gemini 10 in orbit. During this mission, he left the ship for two spacewalks.

Replacement and support team

For the replacement team that would have replaced if necessary an unusual member of the main crew, were classified as commander Jim Lovell, William Anders as a pilot of the command module and Fred Haise as a pilot of the lunar module.

The support team (support crew ) who assisted the actual crew during training consisted of Ken Mattingly, Ron Evans, Bill Pogue, and Jack Swigert.

The members of the backup crew and Mattingly and Evans from the support crew had also worked together with Charles Duke, Bruce McCandless, Don Lind, Owen Garriott and Harrison Schmitt as connecting speaker ( CAPCOM ). In this role, they were usually the only ones who spoke with the astronauts in space.

Flight Director

Flight Director ( Flight Director ) in the control center in Houston were Cliff Charlesworth ( during launch and the moon walk ), Gene Kranz (with the moon landing), Glynn Lunney p ( for the return launch to Earth ) and Gerald D. Griffin. They met relevant for the success of the mission decisions and were responsible for the safety of the crew.

Mission emblem and call sign of spaceships

The badge of Apollo 11 shows the emblem of the United States, the bald eagle, just before landing on the moon. In his claws he wears an olive branch to emphasize the peaceful intentions of the first moon landing. The Earth - Start and end point of the mission - can be seen against a black background, which is meant to symbolize the unknown of space. On the inclusion of the names of the astronauts was deliberately omitted the contribution of every individual who has worked for the Apollo program emphasized. Instead, the badge has the words " APOLLO 11 " at the top.

If you select the nickname of the spaceships of the crew of NASA's management was advised because of the historical significance of the mission to use venerable names - during the previous flight of Apollo 10 were the names of two spacecraft after characters from the comic book series The Peanuts Charlie Brown and Snoopy. The Apollo 11 astronauts finally decided to Lunar Module - the motif used in the originating badge - to name Eagle ( Eagle), while the command module Columbia received the call. The choice of Columbia was justified by the importance of the word in U.S. history.

Planning

Mission Profile

Apollo 11 was the so-called G- mission, whose goal was the first manned landing on the moon in the flight sequence of the Apollo program. The planning phase for Apollo 11 began in 1965, after the development of the two spacecraft was completed, and was under the direction of Christopher Kraft, the flight operations manager at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston. His team was responsible for the preparation of checklists for the crew and the flight plan, the final version was released two weeks before the start on 1 July 1969. In the event of a shift in the Mission produced Krafts department beyond flight scenarios for launch window in August and September 1969.

The plans for the moon exit have been revised several times in the course of preparations. The original concept of 1964 stipulated that only the pilot of the lunar module for two hours enters the lunar surface, while the commander of the mission to monitor the systems remains in the lunar module. A study by the Grumman Aerospace Corporation in the same year pointed out, however, that the participation of both astronauts on the moon walk is technically possible. Beginning in January 1967 suggested flight operations director Christopher Kraft, the time after landing on the lunar surface for two exits to use. The first walk on the moon should therefore only serve to settling the astronauts on the environment, while the second exit for setting up scientific experiments and the extraction of lunar rock samples should be used.

In September 1968, NASA, however, decided that Apollo 11 contain only a 2.5-hour lunar excursion of the two astronauts and scientific instruments should not be carried to the moon because of the weight. Wilmot N. Hess, head of the science department at NASA in Houston, however, urged it to carry but a small package of scientific instruments to the moon. The planning staff then approved on 9 October 1968, the development of three relatively easy experiments for Apollo 11, the Early Apollo Surface Experiments Package ( EASEP ). The weight saved by allowing the carriage of additional fuel for the Lunar Module.

Squad selection

For the compilation of the crew for Apollo 11 was Deke Slayton, the Chief of the NASA Astronaut Office, responsible. In selecting the individual crews he was going on a rotating basis, after which a replacement team suspends two flights before it is even nominated for a flight. Accordingly, the reserve team for Apollo 8 consisted of astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Fred Haise, the crew of Apollo 11 was to form. Armstrong sat down, however, to ensure that Michael Collins, who had lost his place in the crew of Apollo 8 due to surgery, which also moved in his team, to take the place of Haise. The upper NASA management had no objection to this occupation, so that Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins were presented to the public on 10 January 1969 as crew for Apollo 11. At the time of their selection, the team was not yet convinced to complete the first manned moon landing, because the Lunar Module was not tested until then mans in space.

Selection of the landing site

In the selection of the landing site for the Lunar Module the safety of astronauts on the main aspect was. The moon landing had to be carried out for example in direct sunlight and optimum visibility; Start the return to Earth also had to be done in daylight. The requirement to use as little fuel to carry according to the highest possible fuel reserves can, the landing site for Apollo 11 also limited to areas near the lunar equator. An equally important role in the selection eventually played the nature of the lunar surface in the landing area. Thus, the criteria specific about that the weight of the lander must be worn down enough and the number of craters and boulders should be as small as possible.

To provide images and other data of potential landing sites several space probes from the Ranger and Surveyor programs, NASA sent over the course of the 1960s to the moon. While Ranger served for the transmission of high-resolution images, the Surveyor probes completed a soft landing on the lunar surface to send scientific data and television pictures to earth. The quality of the images submitted, however, for a detailed analysis of the possible landing sites do not, which is why NASA developed another series of space probes with Lunar Orbiter. This equipped with two cameras lunar satellite documented 99 percent of the lunar surface and transmitted images of 20 potential landing sites for the Apollo program.

Mid-1965 founded the NASA Apollo Site Selection Board, whose job it was to make proposals for possible landing sites after the weighing of scientific and flight operational aspects. All candidates were located near the equator and appeared on the images of the lunar probes relatively flat. In addition, the mission planners stayed in the choice of landing site that the surrounding terrain no slopes and other irregularities had, otherwise the radar of the lunar module could be disturbed during the approach. On December 15, 1968, the selection committee agreed on a list of five possible landing sites, the Apollo landing sites ( ALS).

For the flight of Apollo 11, NASA chose with ALS -2, finally, the western of the two landing sites in the Sea of ​​Tranquility. There, about 20 hours before landing, the sun had risen. Because a full lunar day lasts 29.53 Earth days, the sun was at the landing about 10 ° above the eastern horizon. In the flat incident morning light unevenness of the lunar surface were clearly visible. The elliptical landing zone corresponded with approximately 18.5 kilometers of the island of Manhattan. Two others, further west landing sites ( AS -3 and AS -5 ) were used in case of a launch delay as alternative locations to ensure the best possible lighting for the final glide of the lander.

Preparations

The launch preparations for Apollo 11 began in early January 1969 with the arrival of the Lunar Module ( Lunar Module, LM) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC ) in Florida. The Apollo spacecraft where the crew was staying for most of the flight, met on 23 January aboard a Super Guppy transport aircraft, a space center. Both spacecraft were taken to the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building, where the individual components of the spacecraft integrated and comprehensive function tests were subjected. In addition, both the Lunar Module and the Apollo spacecraft completed several test runs at an altitude chamber to simulate the loads of the systems in the vacuum of space. After the final checks the lunar module was finally surrounded by a 8.5 meter high truncated cone, which was used for protection during the start phase. The Apollo spacecraft was placed on the top of this casing.

Parallel to the work on the two spacecraft occurred at 7 km distant Vehicle Assembly Building ( VAB) the assembly of the launcher Saturn V. After delivery from the manufacturer's works, the three stages of the rocket on the 5,715 -ton launch platform were connected. The encapsulated Lunar Module and the Apollo spacecraft were added on April 14, making the construction of the 110 meter high launcher was completed. On May 14, the designated as a space vehicle launch configuration of the rocket went through a simulated countdown, which tested the compatibility of the individual systems.

On May 20, 1969, the so-called crawlers, one of two diesel engines propelled tracked vehicle, the Saturn V brought to the launch pad 39A, which was used for the fifth time for a manned launch. The 5.5 km long ride on a specially prepared runway lasted six hours. After reaching the ramp, a flame baffle was placed in the start position under the platform, which was derived when the resulting lifting of the rocket engine gases. Furthermore, a service platform in front of the Saturn V placed to facilitate the work on the rocket. The flight test readiness of the launch vehicle, in which the crew of Apollo 11 took part, was completed on June 6.

On June 27 began the countdown demonstration test, the final major test of the launcher. During the multi-day test, the tanks of the Saturn V were filled with fuel and the countdown to the start of the simulated ignition sequence. In a subsequent second phase, we emptied the fuel tank again and the experiment was repeated with the Countdown crew on board.

History of the flight

Departure

Apollo 11 was launched on July 16, 1969 at 13:32:00 UTC at the top of the 2940 -ton Saturn V from Cape Canaveral, Florida, reaching twelve minutes later scheduled orbit. After one and a half orbits, the third stage of the rocket was ignited again. It burned for about six minutes and brought the Apollo spacecraft to the moon course. A short time later the command / service module was (CSM ) coupled to the lander. The whole way was uneventful. Three days later they reached the moon and waved at 17:22:00 UTC by a braking maneuver on the side of the moon in a lunar orbit one.

Moon-landing

In lunar orbit only increased Aldrin and an hour later (after power-up of the systems) Armstrong in the Lunar Module to. After examination of the systems and deployment of the landing legs of the ferry they separated them from the mother ship, where Collins remained in and triggered the descent sequence. Tricky was then the approach to the target area in the Sea of ​​Tranquility. Due to small accidental track changes in uncoupling the on-board computer aimed at a point about 4.5 miles behind the planned landing site. During the approach, the attention of the crew was also taken about 1.5 km above the ground several times by alarms of the navigation computer to complete, so that Armstrong could not pay attention to the extent to characteristic features of the lunar landscape, as provided for by the schedules. At this glitch it was because, contrary to the flight plan the rendezvous radar was also switched to the landing radar. It overloaded the computer with data, making this blocked and rebooted several times, which was the Crew displayed as errors 1201 and 1202. However, the problem turned out to be critical and could be ignored.

During final approach, the autopilot led the ferry into a crater, whose floor was covered with large rocks. Armstrong then took over manual control of Eagle, flew over the crater and landed on a flat point 60 meters further west. The contact light signaled the imminent contact with the ground ( at about 75 cm in height ) on July 20 at 20:17:39 UTC. The moon landing pilot Aldrin reported the ( "Contact light" ) to 20:17:40 UTC. Immediately thereafter, the crowning contact of all four feet landing with the lunar soil. Approximately three to four seconds after the contact signals above Armstrong switched off the engine. At this point the module "Eagle " already very gently had put on ( with about 0.52 m / s) on the moon.

The additional maneuver had the already tightly calculated fuel budget so overused that the astronauts would have only had about 20 seconds to make a decision: either to land within the next 20 Seconds or abort the approach immediately. Subsequent analyzes showed that the sloshing in the tanks of fuel had led to inaccurate readings and still more reserves available.

Armstrong and Aldrin prepared immediately before a possible start of an alarm in the event that a leak in the tank of the ascent stage or sinking of the land legs would make a longer stay impossible. The landing was timed so that after the originally scheduled ground contact (scheduled at approximately 20:17:00 UTC) remained a time window of about one minute for an immediate start back. Otherwise, you would have missed the orbit of the mother ship, and Collins should have carried out the approach maneuver. About 30 to 40 seconds of it had passed through the additional maneuver for the final glide. Ultimately therefore remained after the completion of these procedures, a time reserve of five to ten seconds.

On the Moon

July 20, 1969 at 20:17:58 UTC clock Armstrong reported:

" Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed! "

" Houston, Tranquility Base here, the base is. The Eagle has landed! "

The primary objective was achieved. From this moment, Armstrong and Aldrin used the call sign Tranquillity Base.

Over the next two hours, the astronauts were busy making preparations for the return flight, which could take place every two hours. Among other things, the onboard computer had to be programmed with the exact orientation of the lunar module. However, the exact location was not known at this time, because Armstrong had identified no known elevation terrain on the approach. In his five flyovers with Columbia Collins tried to sift through the lunar module. However, since he has not had exact location available, this proved unsuccessful.

Furthermore, Armstrong and Aldrin photographed the lunar surface from their windows. The originally planned rest period of 5 hours and 40 minutes was reduced to excitation of the astronauts on 45 minutes and the preferred exit. The preparations for this required approximately three hours.

On July 21, 1969 at 02:56:20 UTC (in the U.S. it was still July 20 ) entered Neil Armstrong became the first man to the moon and spoke the famous words:

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind! "

As with many events of such great consequence, the moon landings to the object of numerous conspiracy theories were. These theories assume that the landings did not take place in the years 1969-1972 (often it's also just about the first manned moon landing ), but by NASA and the U.S. government have been faked. The conspiracy theories have since the 1970s by the author and former employee of NASA subcontractor Rocketdyne Bill Kaysing found distribution. NASA published in 2012 high resolution images of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ( LRO ) of the Apollo 11 landing site.

Trivia

The painter Peter Hecker immortalized the event in 1969 in a stained glass window of St. Martin's Church in Solingen- Burg.

In the statement, Armstrong had spoken the sentence Good Luck, Mr. Gorsky before leaving the moon, it is merely a popular urban legend.

The Apollo 11 cave in southern Namibia was named in honor of the first manned moon mission.