TAG | Apollo 11 was flying to the Moon thirty-nine years ago |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Saturday, 19 July 2008 | |
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Page 3 of 3 The cockpit recording of the conversation between Armstrong and Aldrin as they descend to the Moon is found at CockPitVoiceRecordings.com: “Apollo 11 Moon Landing” The first human words spoke as the two astronauts landed on the Moon came from Aldrin when he said, "Contact light! Okay, engine stop. ACA - out of detent." Armstrong acknowledged "Out of detent" and Aldrin continued, "Mode control - both auto. Descent engine command override off. Engine arm - off. 413 is in." Armstrong, then, spoke his famous words, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Six-and-one-half hours later, at 02:56 UTC on July 21 (10:56 p.m. EDT on July 20, 2008) Armstrong climbed down the nine-rung ladder and placed his footprint on the surface of the Moon. When U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to set his footprints on the lunar soil, he uttered the famous words, “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” A video of the historic moment is found at ManiacWorld.com: “First Steps on the Moon—Video” Aldrin later described the view he saw on the Moon as being “Magnificent desolation.” Among scientific instruments, a U.S. flag, and other things, the two astronauts also left a plaque on the Moon. It reads, “Here Men From The Planet Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We Came in Peace For All Mankind.” After spending more than 21 hours on the lunar surface, the two men lifted off from the Moon at 17:54 UTC, using the Eagle’s ascent stage. They returned to the Command Module orbiting around the Moon, with Michael Collins in command. They splashed down back on Earth on July 24, 1969 at 16:50:35 UTC, about 1,440 nautical miles (2,660 kilometers) east of Wake Island, 210 nautical miles (380 kilometers) south of Johnston Atoll, and 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the USS Hornet, their recovery ship. Their successful mission lasted eight days, three hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds. For additional information on the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing, please read the National Geographic News article “Apollo Anniversary: Moon Landing "Inspired World". A video of the Apollo 11 mssion is found at SonicBomb.com: “Apollo 11 Moon shot”.
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