Astronomy and space are always fascinating subjects for kids with the technological advancement and modification in our society.We have been able to understand outer space, the greater world, more easily and this is the reason that a lot of people are interested in astronomy. To explore the future of science we should know its history.Apollo 11 was the first spaceflight or space vehicle that landed on the moon under the command of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. This spaceflight made its lunar landing on July 20, 1969. Astronauts slept on their way to the moon in the Apollo command module with a sleep solution. Effects wore off before The Eagle landed. This is the first moon landing that created a landmark in the history of science.Neil Armstrong gained a huge amount of fame and honor as the first man to land on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Aldrin are famous for spending two and a quarter hours together outside of Apollo 11. They carried 47.4 lb (21.5 kg) of lunar material and brought it back to Earth.Stay tuned and also check out some Apollo 11 facts and the Andromeda galaxy from Earth here on Kidadl.Apollo 11 HistoryEvery legendary creation either has a hysterical story or a deep-rooted rivalry. The creation of Apollo 11 also is one of a kind.In the ’50s and ’60s, the Soviet Union and the United States of America were in a geopolitical war called ‘The Cold War’. This war started in the year 1957 when the erstwhile Soviet Union (now Russia) launched its first artificial Earth satellite known as Sputnik 1 to the dismay of mighty USA. This created a deep-seated fear in the opposition regarding the potential of using nuclear power amidst the war. As a consequence, this led to the creation of the Apollo Space Program by NASA as a national commitment to beat the Soviet Union. The aim of the Apollo Space Program was to be the first country to send a man into space and remain in the Earth’s orbit to show its supremacy.But again the Soviets beat the USA by sending Yuri Gagarin to space to complete an orbit around the Earth on April 12, 1961. This move escalated the space war between the two superpowers to the next level wherein the USA sent its first astronaut Alan Shephard into space who remained there for 15 minutes completing a suborbital journey.Now was the time for the next attack from both sides. The Soviet Union possesses a greater capability to launch rockets at regular intervals. The then President of the US, John F Kennedy, chose a challenge that was beyond the potential of existing rocketry: a manned mission to the lunar surface where astronauts would land and spend time on the moon’s surface. This laid the foundation for the drive behind the Apollo 11 mission.Astronauts In Apollo 11Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, and from that time to its return on July 24, every action was recorded and displayed via TV camera. But the major focus of attention were the three main crew members of Apollo 11.Initially, Apollo astronauts included the prime crew astronauts Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot (CMP) Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) Buzz Aldrin aka Edwin Aldrin. But then the position of Command Module Pilot was changed and Michael Collins took the place of Jim Lovell. It was stated that the whole crew had an amicable relationship. Apollo Lunar Module Eagle had Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, a lunar module pilot; as its main crew, making Neil Armstrong the first man from planet Earth to set foot and walk on the Moon’s surface. But it was Buzz Aldrin whose footprint photo on the Moon’s surface became famous.In such a big Apollo 11 mission, they couldn’t take any chances and as a safety measure, there was always a backup crew ready to assist in case anything went south. The backup crew consisted of James Lovell as Commander, William Anders as CMP, and Fred Haise as LMP. There were several people under the support crew, capsule communicators, and flight directors.When did Apollo 11 land on the Moon?Apollo 11 was displayed proudly on every TV channel and every piece of news related to it was in newspapers. People were discussing it more and more as the day for its launching was coming close. Its landing made a huge landmark in the development of technology.Apollo 11 was among the 5th crewed Apollo missions of NASA. It was launched on July 16 from Merritt Island, Florida. The Apollo 11 spacecraft was launched into space with the mighty Saturn V rocket. The rocket was launched from the Kennedy Space Center.The Apollo 11 spacecraft had three parts.The first part was called the command module, where the cabin for three astronauts was present and its purpose was to take astronauts to the lunar orbit and bring them back.The second part was called the service module, where electric power, oxygen, water, and other services were provided.The third part was called the lunar landing module which in turn featured two stages. First was the LM descent engine for the Apollo 11 moon landing during the descent stage. The second stage was the ascent stage where the LM descent engine was used to bring astronauts back into lunar orbit and connect with CM.Neil Armstrong made the first step on the lunar surface. He quoted the experience as ‘one small step for a man, one giant step for mankind.’ It effectively proved a victory for the US in the Space Race against the Soviet Union by fulfilling the national goal proposed in 1961 by President John F Kennedy.We can consider Apollo 11 successful as it safely went to the lunar surface and then successfully returned, fulfilling the goals set for it.How long did it take Apollo 11 to get to the Moon?Apollo 11 reached 3,417.5 mph (5,500 kph) as its fastest average speed. Although the lunar mission was eight days long, it took two days for the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle to land on the Moon. Spacecraft left the Earth’s orbit on July 16, 1969, and entered the lunar orbit on the afternoon of July 19. On July 20, Aldrin and Armstrong entered the lunar command and began final preparations for lunar descent, in lunar orbit. Then The Eagle separated from Columbia, the command module portion. Michael Collins, aboard Columbia, inspected The Eagle for any damages and disfiguration. As soon as they landed on the Moon, preparation for walking on the Moon began. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were all set with their trained practice to perform their walk. Technically, after Neil Armstrong, it was Aldrin who went to the Moon as he was with him on Apollo 11. Six hours and thirty-nine minutes after the landing, The Eagle was depressurized and all was ready for the walk.It was stated that Neil did have some issues in passing out of the vault but in the end, he climbed down the nine-rung ladder and pulled down the D ring to deploy the modular equipment storage, and activated the TV camera which was live-broadcasting to all the TV channels on Earth.At first, some ghostly photos were taken of the landing site, and then after describing the surface dust of the landing site as ‘almost like powder’, the astronaut Armstrong stepped off The Eagle’s foot-pad and quoted, ’that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’. Neil Armstrong tried to say, ‘a man’ in his description but since the word wasn’t audible it translated into ‘man’ only. Seven minutes after landing on the Moon, Armstrong collected soil and Moon rocks into a sample bag on a stick. Then the astronauts planted the lunar flag assembly of the flag of the United States on the Moon. They even had a telephone call with President Nixon at the time of hoisting the American flag.The biggest concern of the mission was the astronauts’ metabolic rate and heart rate. Neil Armstrong was constantly reminded of his increasing metabolic rate which was rising.On returning, Aldrin entered the cabin first and then Neil Armstrong entered. The Eagle made contact with Columbia on July 21 and the Lunar Module was jettisoned into lunar orbit. On July 23, the three astronauts made a TV broadcast just before the splash down. The splash down of Apollo 11 occurred in the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii. The splash down on the landing point of the Pacific Ocean happened on July 24. Shortly after, astronauts were quarantined in case they picked up any disease from the Moon.Apparently, the flag that was left on the Moon was not made to withstand harsh conditions of the Moon but as of 2012, the flag was still standing on the Moon. Apollo 11’s Eagle was still orbiting the moon recently when NASA updated that The Eagle’s elliptical orbit had decayed and now it has reached an unknown location.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for striking Apollo 11 facts for kids then why not take a look at are cacti trees or primate lower classifications.
Astronomy and space are always fascinating subjects for kids with the technological advancement and modification in our society.
