With the death of Neil Armstrong, the idea of making the Apollo 11 landing site within the Sea of Tranquility, the landing site for the Apollo 11 mission, a National Historic Landmark has been in the news lately.
For instance, the NBC News article Armstrong's death may speed Tranquility Base preservation states, “The passing of famed astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon and commander of Apollo 11, may strengthen the movement to designate the Tranquility Base lunar landing site as a National Historic Landmark.”
It adds, “The field of space heritage preservation is gaining momentum, and a recently authored bill aims protect the Apollo 11’s Eagle lunar lander touchdown site and all the artifacts that astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left behind on the lunar surface.”
The Apollo 11 lunar module (LM) Eagle landed approximately 400 meters west of West crater and 20 kilometers south-southwest of Sabine D crater in the southwestern part of Mare Tranquilitatis, or the Sea of Tranquility.
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The images show the lunar module descent stages sitting on the lunar surface for the Apollo 11, 14, 15, 16, and 17 missions. The LRO did not photograph the Apollo 12 mission landing site.
Further, NASA just released an article in remembrance of the day the Americans first landed on the Moon, on July 20, 1969.
The NASA article “Wide Awake in the Sea of Tranquillity” talks about the experiences of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as they descended to the lunar surface, landed there, and walked on its surface, the first humans to do so.
It begins, “Neil Armstrong was supposed to be asleep. The moonwalking was done. The moon rocks were stowed away. His ship was ready for departure. In just a few hours, the Eagle's ascent module would blast off the Moon, something no ship had ever done before, and Neil needed his wits about him. He curled up on the Eagle's engine cover and closed his eyes.”
“But he could not sleep.”
Please read the rest of the NASA article for much more on this historic day in world history.
