# Canonical recap data for Apollo 11 (1969)
# Source: https://recap.at/1969/apollo-11
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: apollo-11
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1969/apollo-11"
wikidataQid: Q43653
originSignals:
- "wikidata:Q43653"
- "wikipedia:Apollo_11"
title: Apollo 11
aliases:
- Apollo 11 Moon Landing
- Apollo XI
- Eagle has landed
- Eagle landing
- First Moon Landing
- First moon walk
- Moon landing
- Moon landing 1969
subtitle: An eight-day round trip to a place no human had ever stood — broadcast live to a fifth of humanity
lede: On July 20, 1969, the Lunar Module Eagle touched down in the Sea of Tranquility, and Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on another world. About 650 million people watched live — roughly a fifth of humanity. The Cold War space race ended that night.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: historical
startDate: 1969-07-16
endDate: 1969-07-24
datePrecision: day
year: 1969
decade: 1960
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
location: Kennedy Space Center / Sea of Tranquility, Moon
geo:
lat: 28.6082
lng: -80.6042
place: Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center
geos:
- lat: 28.6082
  lng: -80.6042
  place: Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
  note: "Saturn V lifted off at 9:32 AM EDT on July 16, 1969 — 6.5 million pounds of vehicle rising on 7.5 million pounds of thrust."
  date: 1969-07-16
  significance: 95
- lat: 0.6741
  lng: 23.4731
  place: Sea of Tranquility, Moon
  note: "Eagle landed at 20:17 UTC on July 20 with about 25 seconds of fuel remaining."
  date: 1969-07-20
  significance: 100
- lat: 29.5586
  lng: -95.0901
  place: Mission Control, Houston
  note: Flight director Gene Kranz's team ran the mission. Steve Bales' 'Go' on program alarm 1202 saved the landing.
  date: 1969-07-20
  significance: 85
- lat: 13.3
  lng: -169.15
  place: Recovery zone, Pacific Ocean
  note: Command Module Columbia splashed down 195 hours after launch. USS Hornet picked up the crew.
  date: 1969-07-24
  significance: 70
summaryShort: "July 20, 1969: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans on the Moon while Michael Collins orbited above. 650 million watched live; the United States won the space race; humans haven't been back since 1972."
summaryLong: |-
  Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969, atop a Saturn V — the tallest, heaviest, most powerful rocket ever built. Three astronauts rode it: Neil Armstrong (commander), Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin (Lunar Module pilot), and Michael Collins (Command Module pilot). Four days later, while Collins orbited 60 nautical miles above, Armstrong and Aldrin separated in the Lunar Module Eagle and began their descent to the Sea of Tranquility.

  The landing was nearly aborted. About 6,000 feet up, the guidance computer threw a '1202' program alarm. Twenty-six-year-old guidance officer Steve Bales had ninety seconds to decide whether the alarm — a CPU-overload warning — was fatal. He told Flight Director Gene Kranz: 'Go.' A minute later Armstrong took manual control, flew Eagle over a boulder field that would have crippled the lander, and set it down on a flat patch with about 25 seconds of fuel left. 'Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.'

  Six and a half hours later, Armstrong climbed down the ladder, paused on the last rung, and stepped onto the lunar surface at 02:56:15 UTC on July 21, 1969. 'That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.' Aldrin followed nineteen minutes later, took one look around, and called it 'magnificent desolation.' They spent two hours and 31 minutes outside, planted a flag, deployed three experiments, collected 47.5 pounds of lunar samples, and left behind a plaque: 'Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind.'

  The broadcast reached an estimated 650 million people — about a fifth of the world's living population. In Moscow, state television aired the landing late, briefly, and without comment. In Houston, Kranz's controllers wept at their consoles. In the Sea of Tranquility, Armstrong and Aldrin slept poorly, in a craft 240,000 miles from anyone who could help them. Lift-off from the Moon was scheduled for 17:54 UTC July 21. It went exactly as planned. Eagle's ascent stage rendezvoused with Columbia; the crew transferred over; Eagle was jettisoned to crash back into the Moon. They splashed down in the Pacific on July 24, 195 hours and 19 minutes after launch.

  The Apollo program ran six more crewed missions — five of which landed. The last man on the Moon was Apollo 17's Gene Cernan, who stepped off the surface on December 14, 1972. No human has returned to the lunar surface since. The infrastructure that delivered twelve Americans to another world was dismantled within a decade; the cost ($25.4 billion in 1969 dollars, about $260 billion adjusted) was deemed too high to repeat. What remains is the imagery, the science (842 lb of moon rock across all missions), and the fact: a species that evolved on one planet briefly visited another, then turned around.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg/1280px-Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg"
heroImageCredit: NASA — Buzz Aldrin on the Moon (photographed by Neil Armstrong, who appears in the visor reflection). Public domain.
importance: 99
sourceConfidence: 99
keyFacts:
- label: Crew
  value: Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins
- label: Launch
  value: "Jul 16, 1969 · 13:32 UTC · Kennedy Space Center"
- label: Touchdown
  value: "Jul 20, 1969 · 20:17 UTC · Sea of Tranquility"
- label: First step
  value: "Jul 21, 1969 · 02:56 UTC · Armstrong"
- label: Mission duration
  value: 195 hr 18 min 35 sec
- label: Distance traveled
  value: 238,855 mi (Earth–Moon mean)
- label: Lunar samples returned
  value: 47.5 lb (21.55 kg)
- label: Live TV audience
  value: ≈650 million worldwide
- label: Saturn V height
  value: 363 ft (110.6 m)
- label: Apollo program cost
  value: $25.4B (1969) ≈ $260B (2024)
timeline:
- date: 1961-05-25
  title: Kennedy commits the U.S. to the Moon
  description: "President Kennedy tells a joint session of Congress: '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 the Earth.'"
- date: 1967-01-27
  title: Apollo 1 fire
  description: A fire during a launch-pad rehearsal kills astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. The program is paused for 20 months while the Command Module is redesigned.
- date: 1968-12-24
  title: Apollo 8 orbits the Moon
  description: First crewed mission to leave Earth's gravity. Borman, Lovell, and Anders read from Genesis on live television Christmas Eve. The Earthrise photo arrives the next day.
- date: 1969-07-16
  title: Apollo 11 launches
  description: "Saturn V SA-506 lifts off from Pad 39A at 09:32 EDT. Crew reaches Earth orbit in 11 minutes 42 seconds; trans-lunar injection burn fires 2 hr 44 min after launch."
- date: 1969-07-19
  title: Lunar orbit insertion
  description: Apollo 11 enters lunar orbit after a 357-second engine burn behind the Moon. Crew sees the lunar far side. Eagle is checked out for separation.
- date: 1969-07-20
  title: Eagle lands at Tranquility Base
  description: "20:17 UTC. The 1202 alarm comes at 20:13; Steve Bales calls 'Go.' Armstrong manually flies past a boulder field and lands with ~25 seconds of fuel."
- date: 1969-07-21
  title: First steps on the Moon
  description: "02:56:15 UTC. Armstrong: 'That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.' Aldrin joins 19 minutes later. EVA lasts 2 hr 31 min 40 sec."
- date: 1969-07-21
  title: Lift-off from the Moon
  description: "17:54 UTC. Eagle's ascent stage fires its single engine for 7 minutes. Rendezvous with Columbia at 21:34 UTC; docking at 21:35."
- date: 1969-07-24
  title: Splashdown
  description: "16:50 UTC. Command Module Columbia hits the Pacific 13°19′N 169°9′W. USS Hornet retrieves the crew; they enter 21 days of quarantine in a Mobile Quarantine Facility."
- date: 1972-12-14
  title: Last footprint on the Moon (so far)
  description: Apollo 17's Gene Cernan climbs the ladder for the final time. No human has returned since.
sources:
- provider: Wikipedia
  title: Apollo 11 — Wikipedia
  url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11"
- provider: Wikipedia
  title: Neil Armstrong — Wikipedia
  url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Armstrong"
- provider: Wikidata
  title: Q43653 — Apollo 11
  url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q43653"
- provider: Wikidata
  title: Q1615 — Neil Armstrong
  url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1615"
- provider: NASA
  title: Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal — corrected mission transcript
  url: "https://www.nasa.gov/history/alsj/a11/a11.html"
  publishedAt: 1969-07-20
- provider: NASA
  title: Apollo 11 Mission Report (NASA SP-238) — primary technical document
  url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20230316194525/https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/A11_MissionReport.pdf"
  publishedAt: 1969-11
- provider: Wikimedia Commons
  title: Apollo 11 media files (NASA imagery, public domain)
  url: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Apollo_11"
- provider: Library of Congress
  title: Apollo 11 — Library of Congress collection items
  url: "https://www.loc.gov/search/?q=apollo+11"
- provider: Internet Archive
  title: CBS News coverage of Apollo 11 — Walter Cronkite, full broadcast
  url: "https://archive.org/details/CBSNewsApollo11"
  publishedAt: 1969-07-20
- provider: Wayback Machine
  title: NASA's Apollo 11 mission page, 1999 snapshot
  url: "https://web.archive.org/web/19990202203817/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4029/Apollo_11i_Timeline.htm"
  publishedAt: 1999-02-02
- provider: Open Library
  title: Of a Fire on the Moon — Norman Mailer (1970)
  url: "https://openlibrary.org/works/OL4288029W/Of_a_Fire_on_the_Moon"
  publishedAt: "1970"
- provider: Open Library
  title: "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong — James R. Hansen (2005)"
  url: "https://openlibrary.org/works/OL13567073W/First_Man"
  publishedAt: "2005"
- provider: Wikisource
  title: Nixon's undelivered "In Event of Moon Disaster" speech (William Safire, 1969)
  url: "https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/In_Event_of_Moon_Disaster"
  publishedAt: 1969-07-18
related: []
relationships:
- targetSlug: iphone-launch
  type: anticipated
  confidence: 65
  evidence: Apollo's integrated-circuit demand bootstrapped the microelectronics supply chain that made every later consumer-computing leap possible.
  source: editorial
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: nyt
  headline: MEN WALK ON MOON
  publishedAt: 1969-07-21
  url: "https://www.nytimes.com/1969/07/21/archives/men-walk-on-moon-astronauts-land-on-plain-collect-rocks-plant-flag.html"
  excerpt: "Houston, Monday, July 21 — Men have landed and walked on the moon. Two Americans, astronauts of Apollo 11, steered their fragile four-legged lunar module safely and smoothly to the historic landing yesterday at 4:17:40 P.M., Eastern daylight time."
  significance: 100
  type: newspaper
  region: US
- publisher: The Times (London)
  publisherSlug: thetimes
  headline: Man takes his first walk on the moon
  publishedAt: 1969-07-21
  url: "https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/man-takes-his-first-walk-on-the-moon"
  excerpt: Across eight time zones, normal programming was suspended. The astronauts moved with the careful weightlessness of swimmers; the colour of the Moon, when the cameras adjusted, was startlingly grey.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: UK
- publisher: Pravda
  publisherSlug: pravda
  headline: Американские астронавты высадились на Луне
  publishedAt: 1969-07-22
  url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pravda"
  excerpt: Размещено на четвёртой полосе. Без редакционного комментария. Официальное признание окончания соревнования между сверхдержавами за первенство на Луне.
  originalLanguage: ru
  translation:
  headline: American astronauts have landed on the Moon
  excerpt: Buried on page four. No editorial comment. The official acknowledgement that the Soviet–American race to the Moon was over.
  significance: 80
  type: newspaper
  region: USSR
- publisher: CBS News
  publisherSlug: cbs
  headline: "Walter Cronkite: 'Oh boy. Whew. Boy.'"
  publishedAt: 1969-07-20
  url: "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apollo-11-moon-landing-walter-cronkite-1969/"
  excerpt: The most trusted man in America took his glasses off and rubbed his face. He had nothing rehearsed for this. CBS held the live feed for six hours straight; an estimated 125 million Americans watched on his network alone.
  significance: 90
  type: tv
  region: US
- publisher: Le Figaro
  publisherSlug: lefigaro
  headline: L'homme a marché sur la Lune
  publishedAt: 1969-07-22
  url: "https://www.lefigaro.fr/"
  excerpt: Le 20 juillet 1969 entrera dans l'histoire comme le jour où l'humanité a posé le pied sur un autre monde. Deux Américains ont accompli ce qu'aucun homme n'avait fait avant eux.
  originalLanguage: fr
  translation:
  headline: Man has walked on the Moon
  excerpt: July 20, 1969 will enter history as the day humanity set foot on another world. Two Americans accomplished what no man had done before them.
  significance: 78
  type: newspaper
  region: France
peoplesVoice:
- source: Sea of Tranquility, on the ladder
  voiceType: expert
  context: Armstrong's first words from the lunar surface. He maintained he said 'one small step for a man' — the indefinite article was lost in the transmission.
  excerpt: That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.
  attribution: Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander
  publishedAt: 1969-07-21
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 100
- source: Sea of Tranquility, EVA
  voiceType: expert
  context: Aldrin's first reaction stepping off the ladder and looking out across the regolith.
  excerpt: Magnificent desolation.
  attribution: Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 LM pilot
  publishedAt: 1969-07-21
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 90
- source: Mission Control, Houston — Flight Dynamics console
  voiceType: official
  context: 1202 program alarm fires at 6,000 ft altitude during descent. Bales, 26, has ninety seconds to call it.
  excerpt: Go on that alarm. Roger, Eagle. Go on that alarm.
  attribution: Steve Bales, Guidance Officer (GUIDO)
  publishedAt: 1969-07-20
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 95
- source: Mission Control, CAPCOM loop
  voiceType: official
  context: Charlie Duke's response to Armstrong's landing confirmation. A future Apollo 16 moonwalker himself, his voice cracked.
  excerpt: Roger, Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot.
  attribution: Charlie Duke, Apollo 11 CAPCOM
  publishedAt: 1969-07-20
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 88
- source: Rice University, September 12, 1962
  voiceType: official
  context: Kennedy's speech that committed the United States to the Moon. He'd been told privately by NASA that no one knew if it was possible.
  excerpt: We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
  attribution: John F. Kennedy, U.S. President (Sept 12, 1962)
  publishedAt: 1962-09-12
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 92
- source: White House — undelivered draft
  voiceType: official
  context: Speechwriter William Safire wrote a contingency speech in case Armstrong and Aldrin couldn't lift off from the Moon. Nixon never had to deliver it.
  excerpt: Fate has ordained that the men who went to the Moon to explore in peace will stay on the Moon to rest in peace. These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery.
  attribution: William Safire, for Richard Nixon (unread, July 18, 1969)
  publishedAt: 1969-07-18
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 85
- source: Star City, USSR
  voiceType: expert
  context: Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who would later fly Apollo–Soyuz, recalling the landing in his memoir.
  excerpt: I was completely convinced that man would never set foot on the Moon. And then I watched them do it. We had lost — but I felt only admiration.
  attribution: Alexei Leonov, cosmonaut (later memoir)
  publishedAt: "2004"
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 72
- source: London, BBC studio
  voiceType: media
  context: British astronomer Patrick Moore co-anchored 26 hours of BBC live coverage with James Burke. He'd advocated lunar exploration since the 1950s.
  excerpt: Words fail me. They have done it. They have actually done it. There they are — on the Moon.
  attribution: Sir Patrick Moore, BBC astronomer
  publishedAt: 1969-07-20
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 70
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg/1280px-Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg/1280px-Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg"
  caption: Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface, photographed by Armstrong. Armstrong is visible in the reflection of the visor.
  credit: NASA (Public domain)
  width: 1280
  height: 1280
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Apollo_11_Launch_-_GPN-2000-000630.jpg/1280px-Apollo_11_Launch_-_GPN-2000-000630.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Apollo_11_Launch_-_GPN-2000-000630.jpg/1280px-Apollo_11_Launch_-_GPN-2000-000630.jpg"
  caption: "Saturn V SA-506 lifts off from Pad 39A, 09:32 EDT, July 16, 1969."
  credit: NASA (Public domain)
  width: 1280
  height: 1280
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Apollo_11_first_step.jpg/1280px-Apollo_11_first_step.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Apollo_11_first_step.jpg/1280px-Apollo_11_first_step.jpg"
  caption: Armstrong's bootprint in lunar regolith. No wind, no rain — the print is still there.
  credit: NASA (Public domain)
  width: 1280
  height: 853
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Apollo_11_Crew.jpg/1280px-Apollo_11_Crew.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Apollo_11_Crew.jpg/1280px-Apollo_11_Crew.jpg"
  caption: "Crew portrait, May 1969. Left to right: Armstrong (commander), Collins (CM pilot), Aldrin (LM pilot)."
  credit: NASA (Public domain)
  width: 1280
  height: 1014
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/19990202203817/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4029/Apollo_11i_Timeline.htm"
  capturedAt: "1999-02-02T20:38:17Z"
  label: NASA Apollo 11 timeline (1999 capture)
  originalUrl: "http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4029/Apollo_11i_Timeline.htm"
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Space Oddity
  artist: David Bowie
  year: 1969
  note: Released July 11, 1969 — five days before launch. BBC played it during their Apollo coverage.
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-19T14:12:26.079Z"
- title: In the Year 2525
  artist: Zager and Evans
  year: 1969
  note: "Hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week Apollo 11 launched."
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-19T14:12:26.079Z"
- title: Honky Tonk Women
  artist: The Rolling Stones
  year: 1969
  note: Released July 4, 1969 — the soundtrack to the summer.
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-19T14:12:26.079Z"
topFilms:
- title: Easy Rider
  year: 1969
  note: Released July 14, 1969 — two days before Apollo launched. A counterculture movie went mainstream the same week the establishment landed on the Moon.
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-19T14:12:26.079Z"
- title: Midnight Cowboy
  year: 1969
  note: Won Best Picture at the 1970 Oscars — still the only X-rated film to do so.
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-19T14:12:26.079Z"
- title: "2001: A Space Odyssey"
  year: 1968
  note: Kubrick's film, released a year earlier, defined how a generation imagined what the Moon looked like before they saw it for real.
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-19T14:12:26.079Z"
topTVShows:
- title: Laugh-In
  year: 1969
  note: NBC's top-rated comedy in 1969.
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-19T14:12:26.079Z"
- title: Star Trek
  year: 1969
  note: The original series aired its final episode June 3, 1969 — six weeks before Apollo 11 made its premise less science-fictional.
zeitgeistNote: The Moon landing was the optimistic high-water mark of the 1960s — Woodstock would happen 25 days later; Manson would happen the night before Apollo 11 splashed down. The decade fragmented around it.
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Cost of Apollo program
  thenValue: $25.4B (1969 dollars)
  thenYear: 1969
  nowValue: ≈$260B (2024 dollars)
  nowYear: 2024
  note: About 5% of the U.S. federal budget at its peak in 1966.
- metric: NASA budget as % of US federal spending
  thenValue: 4.41% (1966 peak)
  thenYear: 1966
  nowValue: 0.48%
  nowYear: 2024
- metric: Humans who have walked on the Moon
  thenValue: 2 (rising to 12 by 1972)
  thenYear: 1969
  nowValue: 12, all American men, none since 1972
  nowYear: 2024
- metric: Lunar samples available to scientists
  thenValue: 47.5 lb (Apollo 11 alone)
  thenYear: 1969
  nowValue: 842 lb (cumulative Apollo + Luna + Chang'e)
  nowYear: 2024
- metric: Communication latency, Earth–Moon
  thenValue: 1.28 seconds each way
  thenYear: 1969
  nowValue: 1.28 seconds each way (physics unchanged)
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Every call Mission Control made to the surface had this round-trip delay built in.
impactStatement: Apollo 11 ended the Cold War space race and proved the U.S. industrial-scientific system could deliver on a stretch goal in eight years. The microelectronics industry that grew up to fit the Apollo Guidance Computer's specifications later seeded Silicon Valley. But no human has stood on another world since 1972 — and that gap, now 50+ years long, says something about what the program was actually for.
consequences:
- title: Apollo program ends with Apollo 17
  year: 1972
  description: Three planned missions (18, 19, 20) were cancelled. NASA's crewed program reoriented to low Earth orbit and never returned to the Moon.
- title: Apollo–Soyuz handshake
  year: 1975
  description: First international crewed mission. Soviet and American spacecraft docked in orbit — the formal end of the space race began three months later.
- title: Space Shuttle program begins
  year: 1981
  description: STS-1 launches. NASA replaces Apollo's expendable Saturn V with a partially-reusable winged orbiter. Cost-per-launch never drops as promised.
- title: Microelectronics industry inherits Apollo's contractors
  year: 1980
  description: Fairchild, TRW, IBM, and others scaled their integrated-circuit divisions for Apollo and pivoted to consumer electronics through the 1970s.
- title: Artemis program announced
  year: 2017
  description: NASA commits to returning humans to the Moon. As of 2024 the first crewed lunar landing under Artemis is scheduled for 2026 — 54 years after Apollo 17.
- title: Commercial Crew and crewed lunar plans privatize
  year: 2020
  description: SpaceX flies astronauts to the ISS; Starship is selected as the Artemis lunar lander. The infrastructure to return is being rebuilt outside NASA.
categories:
- launch
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- space_mission
- scientific_breakthrough
canonicalClasses:
- discovery
- creation
- competition
impactRadius: civilizational
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: coordinated
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: "July 20, 1969: Apollo 11's Lunar Module Eagle landed in the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon while 650 million people watched. The hour-by-hour story."
aliasSlugs:
- apollo-11-moon-landing
relatedQueries:
- Apollo 11 moon landing July 20 1969
- Neil Armstrong first words on the moon
- Buzz Aldrin lunar module Eagle
- Michael Collins Apollo 11 command module
- Saturn V rocket Apollo 11
- Apollo 11 live broadcast 650 million viewers
- last human moon landing Apollo 17 1972
- Space Race United States Soviet Union
- Apollo 11 mission control Houston
translations:
es:
lede: El 20 de julio de 1969, el Módulo Lunar Eagle se posó en el Mar de la Tranquilidad, y Neil Armstrong se convirtió en el primer ser humano en caminar en otro mundo. Aproximadamente 650 millones de personas lo vieron en directo — aproximadamente una quinta parte de la humanidad. La carrera espacial de la Guerra Fría terminó esa noche.
summaryShort: "20 de julio de 1969: Neil Armstrong y Buzz Aldrin se convirtieron en los primeros humanos en la Luna mientras Michael Collins orbitaba arriba. 650 millones vieron en directo; Estados Unidos ganó la carrera espacial; los humanos no han vuelto desde 1972."
summaryLong: |-
  Apollo 11 se lanzó desde Kennedy Space Center el 16 de julio de 1969, en lo alto de un Saturno V — el cohete más alto, pesado y poderoso jamás construido. Tres astronautas lo tripulaban: Neil Armstrong (comandante), Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin (piloto del Módulo Lunar), y Michael Collins (piloto del Módulo de Comando). Cuatro días después, mientras Collins orbitaba a 60 millas náuticas arriba, Armstrong y Aldrin se separaron en el Módulo Lunar Eagle e iniciaron su descenso al Mar de la Tranquilidad.

  El aterrizaje estuvo a punto de ser abortado. A unos 6.000 pies de altura, la computadora de guía activó una alarma de programa '1202'. Steve Bales, oficial de guía de veintiséis años, tuvo noventa segundos para decidir si la alarma — una advertencia de sobrecarga de CPU — era fatal. Le dijo al Director de Vuelo Gene Kranz: 'Adelante.' Un minuto después Armstrong tomó control manual, voló Eagle sobre un campo de rocas que habría inutilizado el módulo, y lo posó en un área plana con aproximadamente 25 segundos de combustible restante. 'Houston, Tranquility Base aquí. El Eagle ha aterrizando.'

  Seis horas y media después, Armstrong bajó por la escalera, hizo una pausa en el último peldaño, y pisó la superficie lunar a las 02:56:15 UTC el 21 de julio de 1969. 'Ese es un pequeño paso para [un] hombre, un salto gigantesco para la humanidad.' Aldrin lo siguió diecinueve minutos después, miró alrededor y lo llamó 'desolación magnífica.' Pasaron dos horas y 31 minutos afuera, plantaron una bandera, desplegaron tres experimentos, recolectaron 47,5 libras de muestras lunares, y dejaron una placa: 'Aquí hombres del planeta Tierra pisaron la Luna por primera vez. Julio de 1969 AD. Vinimos en paz para toda la humanidad.'

  La transmisión llegó a aproximadamente 650 millones de personas — aproximadamente una quinta parte de la población mundial viva. En Moscú, la televisión estatal transmitió el aterrizaje tarde, brevemente, y sin comentarios. En Houston, los controladores de Kranz lloraban en sus consolas. En el Mar de la Tranquilidad, Armstrong y Aldrin durmieron mal, en una nave a 240.000 millas de cualquiera que pudiera ayudarlos. El despegue de la Luna estaba programado para las 17:54 UTC el 21 de julio. Salió exactamente según lo planeado. La etapa de ascenso de Eagle se acopló con Columbia; la tripulación se trasladó; Eagle fue arrojado para estrellarse de nuevo en la Luna. Amerizaron en el Pacífico el 24 de julio, 195 horas y 19 minutos después del lanzamiento.

  El programa Apollo realizó seis misiones tripuladas más — cinco de las cuales aterrizaron. El último hombre en la Luna fue Gene Cernan del Apollo 17, quien pisó la superficie el 14 de diciembre de 1972. Ningún ser humano ha regresado a la superficie lunar desde entonces. La infraestructura que llevó doce estadounidenses a otro mundo fue desmantelada en una década; el costo (25,4 mil millones de dólares en dólares de 1969, aproximadamente 260 mil millones ajustados) se consideró demasiado alto para repetir. Lo que queda es la imagen, la ciencia (842 libras de roca lunar en todas las misiones), y el hecho: una especie que evolucionó en un planeta visitó brevemente otro, luego se dio la vuelta.
generatedAt: "2026-05-19T19:33:24.188Z"
fr:
lede: Le 20 juillet 1969, le module lunaire Eagle s'est posé dans la Mer de la Tranquillité, et Neil Armstrong est devenu le premier humain à marcher sur un autre monde. Environ 650 millions de personnes ont regardé en direct — environ un cinquième de l'humanité. La course spatiale de la Guerre froide s'est terminée cette nuit-là.
summaryShort: "20 juillet 1969 : Neil Armstrong et Buzz Aldrin sont devenus les premiers humains sur la Lune tandis que Michael Collins orbitait au-dessus. 650 millions de personnes ont regardé en direct ; les États-Unis ont remporté la course spatiale ; les humains n'y sont pas retournés depuis 1972."
summaryLong: |-
  Apollo 11 a décollé du Kennedy Space Center le 16 juillet 1969, au sommet d'une Saturn V — la fusée la plus haute, la plus lourde et la plus puissante jamais construite. Trois astronautes l'ont pilotée : Neil Armstrong (commandant), Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin (pilote du module lunaire) et Michael Collins (pilote du module de commande). Quatre jours plus tard, tandis que Collins orbitait à 60 milles nautiques au-dessus, Armstrong et Aldrin se sont séparés dans le module lunaire Eagle et ont commencé leur descente vers la Mer de la Tranquillité.

  L'atterrissage a failli être annulé. À environ 6 000 pieds d'altitude, l'ordinateur de guidage a déclenché une alarme de programme « 1202 ». L'officier de guidage Steve Bales, âgé de 26 ans, avait quatre-vingt-dix secondes pour décider si l'alarme — un avertissement de surcharge CPU — était fatale. Il a dit au directeur de vol Gene Kranz : « Go ». Une minute plus tard, Armstrong a pris le contrôle manuel, a piloté Eagle au-dessus d'un champ de rochers qui aurait endommagé le module, et l'a posé sur une zone plane avec environ 25 secondes de carburant restant. « Houston, Tranquility Base ici. L'Eagle s'est posé. »

  Six heures et demie plus tard, Armstrong a descendu l'échelle, s'est arrêté sur le dernier barreau et a posé le pied sur la surface lunaire à 02:56:15 UTC le 21 juillet 1969. « C'est un petit pas pour [un] homme, un grand bond pour l'humanité. » Aldrin a suivi dix-neuf minutes plus tard, a jeté un coup d'œil autour de lui et l'a qualifié de « désolation magnifique ». Ils ont passé deux heures et 31 minutes à l'extérieur, ont planté un drapeau, ont déployé trois expériences, ont collecté 47,5 livres d'échantillons lunaires et ont laissé une plaque : « Ici, des hommes de la planète Terre ont posé le pied sur la Lune pour la première fois. Juillet 1969 de l'ère commune. Nous sommes venus en paix pour toute l'humanité. »

  La transmission a atteint une population estimée de 650 millions de personnes — environ un cinquième de la population mondiale vivante. À Moscou, la télévision d'État a diffusé l'atterrissage tardivement, brièvement et sans commentaire. À Houston, les contrôleurs de Kranz pleuraient à leurs consoles. Dans la Mer de la Tranquillité, Armstrong et Aldrin ont mal dormi, dans un engin à 240 000 milles de quiconque aurait pu les aider. Le décollage de la Lune était prévu pour 17:54 UTC le 21 juillet. Tout s'est déroulé exactement comme prévu. L'étage d'ascension d'Eagle s'est rendez-vous avec Columbia ; l'équipage s'est transférée ; Eagle a été éjecté pour s'écraser sur la Lune. Ils ont amerri dans le Pacifique le 24 juillet, 195 heures et 19 minutes après le lancement.

  Le programme Apollo a poursuivi six autres missions habitées — dont cinq se sont posées. Le dernier homme sur la Lune était Gene Cernan d'Apollo 17, qui a quitté la surface le 14 décembre 1972. Aucun humain n'est retourné à la surface lunaire depuis. L'infrastructure qui avait livré douze Américains sur un autre monde a été démantelée en une décennie ; le coût (25,4 milliards de dollars en dollars de 1969, environ 260 milliards ajustés) a été jugé trop élevé pour être répété. Ce qui reste, ce sont les images, la science (842 livres de roche lunaire à travers toutes les missions) et le fait : une espèce qui a évolué sur une planète en a brièvement visité une autre, puis s'est arrêtée.
generatedAt: "2026-05-19T19:33:32.606Z"
de:
lede: Am 20. Juli 1969 setzte die Mondlandefähre Eagle im Meer der Ruhe auf, und Neil Armstrong wurde der erste Mensch, der einen anderen Himmelskörper betrat. Etwa 650 Millionen Menschen verfolgten dies live – ungefähr ein Fünftel der Menschheit. Das Weltraum-Wettrüsten des Kalten Krieges endete in dieser Nacht.
summaryShort: "20. Juli 1969: Neil Armstrong und Buzz Aldrin wurden die ersten Menschen auf dem Mond, während Michael Collins darüber die Umlaufbahn hielt. 650 Millionen verfolgten dies live; die Vereinigten Staaten gewannen das Weltraum-Rennen; Menschen sind seit 1972 nicht zurückgekehrt."
summaryLong: |-
  Apollo 11 startete am 16. Juli 1969 vom Kennedy Space Center auf einer Saturn V – der größten, schwersten und stärksten Rakete, die je gebaut wurde. Drei Astronauten waren an Bord: Neil Armstrong (Kommandant), Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin (Pilot der Mondlandefähre) und Michael Collins (Pilot des Kommandomoduls). Vier Tage später, während Collins 60 Seemeilen darüber die Umlaufbahn hielt, trennten sich Armstrong und Aldrin in der Mondlandefähre Eagle ab und begannen ihren Abstieg zum Meer der Ruhe.

  Die Landung wäre beinahe abgebrochen worden. In etwa 1.800 Metern Höhe warf der Navigationcomputer einen ‚1202'-Programmfehler aus. Der 26-jährige Navigationsingenieur Steve Bales hatte 90 Sekunden Zeit zu entscheiden, ob die Warnung – ein CPU-Überlastungsfehler – tödlich war. Er sagte Flight Director Gene Kranz: ‚Go.' Eine Minute später übernahm Armstrong die manuelle Kontrolle, flog Eagle über ein Felsfeld, das die Landefähre beschädigt hätte, und setzte sie mit etwa 25 Sekunden Treibstoff noch verbleibend auf einer ebenen Fläche auf. ‚Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.'

  Sechs Stunden und 30 Minuten später kletterte Armstrong die Leiter hinunter, hielt inne auf der letzten Sprosse und betrat um 02:56:15 UTC am 21. Juli 1969 die Mondoberfläche. ‚That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.' Aldrin folgte 19 Minuten später, blickte sich um und nannte es ‚magnificent desolation.' Sie verbrachten zwei Stunden und 31 Minuten draußen, pflanzten eine Flagge, setzten drei Experimente aus, sammelten etwa 21,5 Kilogramm Mondgestein und hinterließen eine Plakette: ‚Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind.'

  Die Übertragung erreichte schätzungsweise 650 Millionen Menschen – etwa ein Fünftel der damaligen Weltbevölkerung. In Moskau strahlte das Staatsfernsehen die Landung verspätet, kurz und ohne Kommentar aus. In Houston weinten Kranz' Kontrolleure an ihren Konsolen. Im Meer der Ruhe schliefen Armstrong und Aldrin schlecht in einer Kapsel, 386.000 Kilometer von jedem entfernt, der ihnen hätte helfen können. Der Abhub vom Mond war für 17:54 UTC am 21. Juli geplant. Er verlief exakt nach Plan. Eagles Aufstiegsstufe dockte an Columbia an; die Mannschaft wechselte über; Eagle wurde ausgestoßen, um zurück zum Mond abzustürzen. Sie wasserten im Pazifik am 24. Juli ab, 195 Stunden und 19 Minuten nach dem Start.

  Das Apollo-Programm führte sechs weitere bemannte Missionen durch – fünf davon landeten. Der letzte Mensch auf dem Mond war Apollo 17's Gene Cernan, der die Oberfläche am 14. Dezember 1972 verließ. Kein Mensch ist seit damals zur Mondoberfläche zurückgekehrt. Die Infrastruktur, die zwölf Amerikaner auf einen anderen Himmelskörper brachte, wurde innerhalb eines Jahrzehnts abgebaut; die Kosten (25,4 Milliarden Dollar in Dollars von 1969, etwa 260 Milliarden angepasst) wurden als zu hoch erachtet, um wiederholt zu werden. Was verbleibt, sind die Bilder, die Wissenschaft (etwa 381 Kilogramm Mondgestein über alle Missionen hinweg) und die Tatsache: eine Species, die auf einem Planeten entstand, besuchte kurzzeitig einen anderen, und kehrte dann um.
generatedAt: "2026-05-19T19:33:42.219Z"
