ELM Bulletin - July 20, 2009
Apollo 11 - 40 Years Later
Today, July 20, 2009, is the 40th anniversary of man’s first steps on a body other than Earth. This ELM Bulletin will share some interesting facts and links to information on the Apollo 11 mission.
I was a young boy at the time but I remember very well the excitement that I felt as man took his first serious steps beyond our home planet. There was something about the sheer audacity of this enterprise, that we all got to have our own share of, that simply captured the imagination. I was astounded (and still am) by the size of the Saturn V launch vehicles (over 300 feet in height) and their power (at 1 billion horsepower they are the most powerful engines ever built).
Apollo 11 is significant as well for the unassuming character of its primary participants:
- Neil Armstrong (Commander)
- Michael Collins (Command Module Pilot)
- Edwin Aldrin (Lunar Module Pilot)
The Apollo 11 mission patch, designed by Michael Collins, is the only Apollo Program mission patch not carrying the astronaut’s names. This was done to symbolize that the acheivment of Apollo 11 belonged to all mankind, not just the three men who were there. Neil Armstrong repeated this in his famous first words from the surface of the Moon “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” A plaque fixed to the Lunar Module Descent Stage (the part of the craft that remained after Armstrong and Aldrin returned to Earth) reads, in part: “We came in peace for all mankind.” (A copy of the plaque appears in the opening scenes of the movie “Independence Day.”)
Did you know:
- That Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin walked the surface of the Moon for a total of 2½ hours?
- That less than 30 seconds of fuel remained once the Lunar Module landed?
- That Edwin Aldrin took Communion on the Lunar surface as an expression of his gratitude to God?
- That because the only camera was attached to Neil Armstrong’s space-suit the only astronaut in almost all Apollo 11 photos on the Lunar surface is Edwin Aldrin?
- That the Apollo Program (as it related to the Moon) would end only 2½ years later?
- That the Skylab space station was constructed from unused Apollo components?
There is one final “Did you know” at the bottom of this ELM Bulletin.
The Internet is a tremendous resource for more information on the Apollo 11 mission in particular and the Apollo Program in general. Here is a small sampling:
- Wikipedia on Apollo 11 – (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11)
- Wikipedia on the Apollo Program – (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program)
- NASA Website – (http://www.nasa.gov/home/)
- Google Earth – (http://earth.google.com/moon/)
Additionally, if you’re looking for excellent resources off the web here are two that are well worth your trouble:
- “A Man On The Moon” by Andrew Chaikin – A fantastic portrayal of the Apollo program
- “From The Earth To The Moon” – This HBO mini-series provides inspiring video coverage of Apollo
One last “Did you know:” Did you know that the computers that guided the Apollo vehicles, which were the cutting edge of technology at the time, were roughly equivalent in power to…your digital watch?
Your cell phone far exceeds the computing power that was available on any Apollo space vehicle. Here is a brief technical write-up of the AGS, the Apollo Guidance and Navigation System. Just imagine what we could do with today’s technology if we were willing to take the risk and spend the money.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this or any other issue.
Past issues of the ELM Bulletin are available from our website, feel free to forward them to anyone you wish.
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