July 25, 2019
In July 2019, I became aware that the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing was approaching. Using the Lego Saturn V rocket my children had bought me for my birthday that year, I demonstrated for them the different stages of the mission. I started live-tweeting the photos and timeline of events I had discovered online, moment by moment, similar to the way I had live-tweeted the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen protests in China a few years before. As the mission unfolded, I tried to tweet each event down the minute and even second it unfolded. I can’t recreate that here, but I can at least repost the events and images in a way that forms a revealing narrative of how the first moon landing must have felt, on Earth and in Space, as it was happening, the year before I was born.
February 21, 1969 – Workers prepare the S-IC first stage in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
February 21, 1969 – A crane lifts the S-IC first stage in preparation for stacking on a mobile launcher within the VAB’s High Bay 1.
February 21, 1969 – The Soviet manned lunar program suffers a major setback. The unmanned N1 rocket was launched for the first time, but 70 seconds later its 30 engines shut down and the rocket crashed. “In less than two minutes, the Soviets’ last valiant effort to beat America to the Moon was reduced to piles of twisted and burnt metal.”
March 2, 1969 – The supersonic Concorde jet makes its first flight.
March 3-13, 1969 – The Apollo 9 mission, in Earth orbit, demonstrate that the that the Apollo Lunar Module works. During the ten-day mission, they tested systems and procedures critical to landing on the Moon, including the LM engines, backpack life support systems, navigation systems and docking maneuvers.
March 15, 1969 – President Nixon secretly authorizes aerial bombing into Cambodia.
March 21, 1969 – The S-II second stage is moved into position for mating with the S-IC first stage.
March 21, 1969 – The S-IVB third stage is hoisted for for mating to the second stage.
March 21, 1969 – The S-IVB third stage is moved into position for mating.
March 21, 1969 – Workers prepare the S-IVB for mating of the Instrument Unit (pictured left), which houses the guidance, control and other systems of the Saturn V launch vehicle.
March 31, 1969 – Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse-Five was first published by Delacorte Press.
April 4, 1969 – Apollo 11 Lunar Module (LM-5) is prepared for placement in the spacecraft adapter.
April 9, 1969 – Harvard University’s Administration Building was seized by close to 300 students, mostly members of the Students for a Democratic Society. The occupation was forcibly dispersed by police with batons and pepper spray.
April 18, 1969 – The Apollo 11 Command/Service Module (CSM-107) being readied for transfer to the Vehicle Asssembly Building.
April 18, 1969 – The Apollo 11 CSM is mated to the spacecraft adapter.
April 20, 1969 – President Nixon announces that he will order the withdrawal of 150,000 American troops from South Vietnam over the next 12 months in a gradual policy of “Vietnamization”.
April 30, 1969 – President Nixon announces that he is sending U.S. troops into Cambodia.
May 1, 1969 – The Apollo 11 spacecraft assembly is hoisted for mating to the launch vehicle.
May 1, 1969 – Mating of the Apollo 11 spacecraft to the Saturn V launch vehicle.
May 2, 1969 – The Cunard Line’s newest ocean liner, the Queen Elizabeth II (QE2), departed Southampton on its maiden voyage, with 1,000 passengers and 400 crew. The $72 million ship made the first private use of the new satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS).
May 13-20, 1969 – U.S. Army soldiers fight the Battle of Hamburger Hill in central Vietnam.
May 1969 – Official pre-mission photo of the crew of the Apollo 11 mission: (from left to right) Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin.
May 18, 1969 – Apollo 10 launches from Kennedy Space Center. Its mission: to perform a “dress rehearsal” for the Moon landing.
May 20, 1969 – Saturn V SA-506, the rocket carrying the Apollo 11 spacecraft, moves out of the Vehicle Assembly Building towards Launch Complex 39.
May 20, 1969 – The Crawler that carries the Saturn V rocket moves at an average speed of less that 1mph and consumes 165 gallons per mile.
May 20, 1969 – Ground-level view of the 363-ft. tall Apollo 11 Saturn V on the crawler way to its launch pad.
The Saturn V rocket was 58 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty on its pedestal.
May 20, 1969 – Apollo 11 trundles past the parked Mobile Service Structure.
May 20, 1969 – The Apollo 11 Saturn V nears the end of its trip to the launchpad.
May 22, 1969 – Apollo 10 astronauts descend to within 10 miles of the Moon’s surface, as part of “dress rehearsal” for the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
May 26, 1969 – Crew of Apollo 10 are safely recovered after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
July 1, 1969 – Apollo 11 Saturn V on launch pad 39A.
July 1, 1969 – The Mobile Service Structure approaches the Saturn V on pad 39-A.
July 1, 1969 – Prince Charles is formally invested as Prince of Wales by his mother Queen Elizabeth II at Caernarvon Castle in Wales.
July 2, 1969 – The Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket at sunset at LC-39A.
July 2, 1969 – The Mobile Service Structure moves away from Apollo 11 on pad 39-A.
July 3, 1969 – The Soviet effort to win the race to the Moon ended when its N1 rocket suffered a catastrophic explosion on launch at Baikonur in modern Kazakhstan. It was, to date, the 9th largest artificial non-nuclear explosion in history.
July 4, 1969 – LIFE Magazine
July 5, 1969 – The Rolling Stones perform a free live rock concert before at least 250,000 fans in London’s Hyde Park.
July 7, 1969 – Newsweek Magazine
July 10, 1969 – Astronaut Buzz Aldrin arriving at Kennedy Space Center for Apollo 11 launch on T-6.
July 10, 1969 – Neil Armstrong with fellow astronaut Don Lind in Kennedy Space Center, preparing for the Apollo 11 launch in a week’s time
July 10, 1969 – At T-6 Days to launch, astronaut Neil Armstrong at the foot of the mockup LM’s ladder.
July 11, 1969 – A technician works atop the white room, through which the astronauts will enter the spacecraft.
July 11, 1969 – Personnel atop the 402-ft. mobile service structure look back at the Apollo 11 spacecraft as the tower is moved away during a countdown demonstration test.
July 11, 1969 – The Mobile Service Structure moves down the pad 39-A ramp, leaving the Saturn V alone during a countdown demonstration test.
July 11, 1969 – David Bowie’s song “Space Oddity” (aka “Major Tom”) is released by Phillips Records in conjunction with the anticipated Apollo 11 launch. It tells the story of an astronaut lost forever in Space due to a technical malfunction.
July 12, 1969 – Mike Collins, Apollo 11 command module pilot, goes for a spin in a jet fighter with boss Deke Slayton at Patrick Air Force Base, to burn off some steam as launch date approaches.
July 12, 1969 – Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins take their final press conference from inside their semi-isolated NASA quarters (done to minimize the odds of getting sick and to allow for a period of intense last-minute training).
July 13, 1969 – The Soviet Union launched the unmanned lunar spacecraft Luna 15. Its mission was to retrieve a moon rock sample and return it to Earth before the U.S.
July 13, 1969 – Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times publish guides for watching the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.
July 14, 1969 – The 363-foot tall Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket on Launch Pad 39 at Kennedy Space Center, taken from about 3/4 miles away, two days before launch
July 14, 1969 – Commander Neil Armstrong reviews flight plans during final preparations for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, on T-2, two days before launch.
July 14, 1969 – Astronaut Buzz Aldrin signs off on Lunar Trajectory Notes in preparation for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, scheduled to launch two days later.
July 14, 1969 – Tourists mill around near the Apollo-11 launch complex at Kennedy Space Center, two days before the launch.
July 14, 1969 – Press conference of NASA Center Directors including Wernher von Braun (Marshall Space Flight Center), Kurt Debus (Kennedy Space Center), George Mueller (NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Spaceflight), and Robert Gilruth (Manned Spacecraft Center)
July 14, 1969 – Runway models parade moon fashions in Sydney, Australia, two days before the launch of the Apollo 11 mission.
July 14, 1969 – Searchlights focused on the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket on the launchpad.
Jul 15, 1969 – New York Times: Apollo 11 astronauts are “ready to go” tomorrow.
July 15, 1969 – The Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket on Pad 39 at the Kennedy Space Center after rollback of the service structure, the day before launch. The fuel tank which holds the liquid hydrogen fuel which helps power the rocket is to the right.
July 15, 1969 – Duke Ellington tapes a performance of his new original composition “Moon Maiden” in honor of the Apollo 11 launch the next day.
July 15, 1969 – Astronaut Buzz Aldrin signs off on the stowage list for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, the day before launch.
July 15, 1969 – Civil rights activists Reverend Ralph Abernathy and Hosea Williams at Kennedy Space Center demonstrating against the Apollo 11 moon launch.
July 15, 1969 – Civil rights protestors at Kennedy Space Center demonstrating against the next day’s Apollo 11 moon launch as a misdirection of resources.
July 15, 1969 – Apollo 11 launch controllers at their consoles in the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center, the day before launch.
July 15, 1969 – Look Magazine asks “What’s Beyond Our Flag on the Moon?
July 15, 1969 – VIP dinner reception for the Apollo 11 astronauts, the evening before the next day’s launch.
July 15, 1969 – The Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket sits on the launch pad in Florid, the night before the launch
July 16, 1969, 4:00am ET – The Apollo 11 crew wake up and join astronaut program boss Deke Slayton for a traditional launch day steak and eggs breakfast.
July 16, 1969, 6:00am ET: Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong as he suited up for launch
July 16, 1969, 6:00am ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin as he put on his space suit the morning of launch day.
July 16, 1969, 6:00am ET – The Apollo 11 astronauts (including Neil Armstrong, pictured here) are placed into their space suits for launch.
July 16, 1969, 6:30am ET – The three Apollo 11 astronauts, wearing their space suits, are ready to depart for the launch pad.
July 16, 1969, 6:30am ET – Neil Armstrong, waving in front, and the crew of Apollo 11, head for the van that will take them to the rocket for launch to the Moon.
July 16, 1969, 6:45am ET – Led by Neil Armstrong, the crew of the Apollo 11 mission arrive atop the launch pad to enter the space capsule that will take them to the Moon
July 16, 1969 – Thousands of spectators have camped out overnight on the beaches near Kennedy Space Center, Florida to catch a glimpse of the Apollo 11 launch.
July 16, 1969, 6:45am ET – In the “White Room” atop the launch pad, technicians help the Apollo 11 astronauts enter the space capsule that will take them to the Moon.
July 16, 1969 – New York Times: Three Apollo astronauts poised to set out today on moon-landing mission.
July 16, 1969 – Spectators camping out on the Florida beaches to catch a glimpse of the Apollo 11 launch.
July 16, 1969 – People gather in the VIP viewing stands to watch the launch of Apollo 11 to the Moon.
July 16, 1969 – People in Berlin, Germany gather in front of a store window to watch the launch of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.
July 16, 1969 – Entertainers Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon sitting in the grandstand of the VIP Site before the Apollo 11 launch. They are center, with Carson wearing a neckscarf and McMahon sunglasses.
July 16, 1969 – Hundreds of people gathered outside the Zenith television showroom at Fifth Avenue and 54th Street in Manhattan to watch the Apollo 11 rocket launch.
July 16, 1969 – Thousands of spectators gathered outside the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the launch of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.
July 16, 1969 – Former President Lyndon Johnson arriving in the VIP section at Kennedy Space Center to watch the launch of the Apollo 11 rocket to the moon. He is accompanied by General Westmoreland.
July 16, 1969 – People in the VIP bleachers at Kennedy Space Center, gathered to watch the launch of the Apollo 11 mission to land on the Moon.
July 16, 1969 – Newsmen and neighbors gather in front of a mobile television unit at the home of Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins in Houston, Texas.
July 16, 1969, 9:29am ET – People gathered inside the Zenith television showroom at Fifth Avenue and 54th Street in Manhattan to watch the final moments of the Apollo 11 launch countdown.
July 16, 1969, 9:31am ET – The Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket moments before ignition.
July 16, 1969, 9:32am ET – Ignition of the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket.
July 16, 1969, 9:32am ET – Liftoff of the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket to the Moon at Kennedy Space Center
July 16, 1969, 9:32am ET – Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket rising from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center.
July 16, 1969, 9:32am ET – Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket rising from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center.
July 16, 1969, 9:32am ET – Go baby go! Jubilant spectators watch the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket take off at Kennedy Space Center, Florida
July 16, 1969, 9:32am ET – Spectators watching the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket take off.
July 16, 1969, 9:32am ET – Panaroma of the VIP viewing stands at Kennedy Space Center as the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket lifts off.
July 16, 1969, 9:32am ET – Former President Lyndon Johnson watching the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket lift off at Kennedy Space Center.
July 16, 1969, 9:32am ET – Two women watching the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket lift off for the Moon.
July 16, 1969, 9:32am ET – The Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket lifts off for the Moon.
July 16, 1969, 9:32am ET – NASA launch team members view the Apollo 11 through the firing room windows.
July 16, 1969 – The Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket streaks into the sky, shortly after launch.
July 16, 1969 – Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket soaring higher into the atmosphere, as viewed from an Air Force EC-135N plane.
July 16, 1969, 9:35am ET – Apollo 11 first stage separation, about 3 minutes into the flight.
July 16, 1969 – Spectator watching the Apollo 11 rocket soar into the sky outside Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
July 16, 1969 – German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun at Kennedy Space Center, after the launch of Apollo 11. A former SS officer who designed the V-2 missile, he played an instrumental role in envisioning the lunar mission and the Saturn V multi-stage rocket.
July 16, 1969 – View from the Apollo 11 spacecraft in its parking orbit around Earth, before blasting off on its journey to the Moon.
July 16, 1969 – Photo of Neil Armstrong inside the Apollo 11 command module, about an hour into the mission, taken by Buzz Aldrin
July 16, 1969 – View of planet Earth from the Apollo 11 spacecraft as it prepares to depart on its journey the Moon.
July 16, 1969 – Apollo 11 mission officials at Kennedy Space Center relaxed after the successful liftoff.
July 16, 1969 – NASA aerospace engineer JoAnn Morgan was the only woman in firing room during the launch of Apollo 11. She says that “for the first 15 years, I worked in a building where there wasn’t a ladies’ rest room.”
July 16, 1969 – The Earth quickly recedes in the window as the Apollo 11 spacecraft begins its 3-day journey to the Moon (photo taken from the command module on the mission’s first day).
Jul 16, 1969 – Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins in the Command Module, on Day 1 of the mission.
Jul 16, 1969 – The Apollo 11 Lunar Module atop the final stage of the Saturn V rocket, as seen from the Command Module, during initial docking.
July 16, 1969, 7:47pm ET – Earth at about 87,000 km or 47,000 nautical miles, taken from the Apollo 11 spacecraft on its way to the Moon. North is up and the west coast of the United States is visible with the Pacific Ocean dominating the view.
July 17, 1969 – New York Times: Astronauts are speeding to the Moon after flawless launch.
July 17, 1969 – The New York Times publishes a retraction of its January 13, 1920 editorial which slammed rocket pioneer Robert H. Goddard for not comprehending that rocket propulsion cannot work in the vacuum of space. “It is now definitely established that a rocket can function in a vacuum as in an atmosphere. The Times regrets the error.”
July 17, 1969 – Chicago Tribune: Apollo 11 right on course.
July 17, 1969, 8:00am ET – The Apollo 11 astronauts have just woken up for Day 2 of their mission. They are almost 100,000 nautical miles (180,000km) from home, traveling towards the Moon at a speed of almost 3,800 miles per hour (6,000 km/h), 5x the speed of sound.
July 17, 1969, 7:45pm ET – Apollo 11 astronauts in their Command Module, about halfway to the Moon.
The crew of Apollo 11 are sleeping now, 137,000 nautical miles (253,000 km) from Earth, traveling towards the Moon at 2,800 miles per hour (4,540 km/h or Mach 3.7). They will wake up in just under 11 hours for Day 3 of their mission.
July 18, 1969 – New York Times: Apollo 11 coasts on toward the Moon.
July 18, 1969, 10:00am ET – The crew of Apollo 11 have woken up for Day 3 of their mission. They are now 162,000 nautical miles (301,000 km) from Earth, traveling towards the moon at 3,500 feet per second (3,800 km/h, 2,375 mph, Mach 3.1).
July 18, 1969, 3:15pm ET – Scenes from Mission Control in Houston, during Day 3 of the Apollo 11 mission.
July 18, 1969, 3:25pm ET – Mission Control in Houston is reading the national and local news over the radio to the Apollo 11 astronauts, who are 172,000 miles (319,000 km) from Earth, heading towards the Moon at 2,227 miles per hour (Mach 2.9).
July 18, 1969, 5:50pm ET – Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, en route to the Moon, climb through the docking hatch to inspect the Lunar Module they will use to land on the Moon’s surface.
July 18, 1969, 5:55pm ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the Lunar Module, inspecting its condition in advance of arriving in lunar orbit.
July 18, 1969, 11:30pm – The crew of Apollo 11 are now sleeping, and have just entered the lunar sphere of influence (the gravitational pull of the Moon). In about 7 hours, they will wake up and begin maneuvers to put their spacecraft into lunar orbit.
July 19, 1969 – New York Times: Astronauts check lunar module; Russians say their own lunar probe won’t interfere with American moon landing.
July 19, 1969, 9:00am ET – Photo showing the Sun’s corona around the Moon, as the Apollo 11 spacecraft maneuvers around its dark side into lunar orbit.
July 18, 1969, 11:45pm – After a party, Senator Ted Kennedy drove his car off the bridge linking Chappaquiddick Island to Martha’s Vineyard. He swam away and left the scene, leaving his 28-year-old passenger Mary Jo Kopechne trapped inside the submerged vehicle.
July 19, 1969, 11:20am ET – View of Earth, looking from the Apollo 11 Command Module past the Lunar Module, from orbit around the Moon.
July 19, 1969, 1:30pm ET – Images of the Moon’s surface taken from the Apollo 11 spacecraft soon after entering lunar orbit.
July 19, 1969, 1:30pm ET – The Moon’s surface seen from the Apollo 11 spacecraft soon after entering lunar orbit.
July 19, 1969, 1:40pm ET – Apollo 11 astronauts marvel at the view below them, as they orbit the Moon. Armstrong: “What a spectacular view!” Collins: “God, look at that moon! Fantastic!”
July 19, 1969, 1:47pm ET – Apollo 11 astronauts watch the Earthrise in lunar orbit. Aldrin: “There it is, it’s coming up!” Collins: “What?” Aldrin: “The Earth.” Armstrong: “See it?” Aldrin: “Yes. Beautiful.”
July 19, 1969, 1:48pm ET – Sequential images taken by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin of the Earthrise, seen from lunar orbit.
July 19, 1969, 1:50pm ET – Mission Control in Houston communicating with Apollo 11 astronauts as they conduct a maneuver burn in lunar orbit, soon after watching the Earthrise.
July 19, 1969, 2:00pm ET – Apollo 11 astronauts get their first view of their planned landing approach, from lunar orbit.
July 19, 1969, 2:06pm ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong: “It looks very much like the pictures, but like the difference between watching a real football game and one on TV. There’s no substitute for actually being there.”
July 19, 1969, 2:15pm ET – Apollo 11 astronauts, in lunar orbit, are scouting out the Moon’s landscape, identifying key landmarks that will help them navigate to their landing site the next day.
July 19, 1969, 2:22pm ET – View of the Moon’s surface from the Apollo 11 spacecraft, in lunar orbit.
July 20, 1969 – New York Times: Apollo 11 astronauts swing into moon orbit in preparation for today’s landing.
July 20, 1969, 11:52am ET – Apollo 11 astronauts witness another Earthrise from lunar orbit, as they prepare to begin their descent to the Moon’s surface.
July 20, 1969, 12:13pm – Moon’s surface seen from the Apollo 11 spacecraft in lunar orbit as the astronauts prepare for their descent to the surface.
July 20, 1969, 1:44pm ET – Lunar Module “Eagle”, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, detaches from the Apollo 11 Command Module, piloted by Mike Collins. Collins: “Okay, there you go. See you later!” Armstrong: “See ya!”
July 20, 1969, 1:50pm ET – The Earth, out the window of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module “Eagle” in lunar orbit, after undocking from the Command Module “Columbia”.
July 20, 1969, 1:52pm ET – The Apollo 11 Lunar Module “Eagle” seen out the window of the Command Module “Colombia” as astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin begin to maneuver it in lunar orbit. Armstrong: “The Eagle has wings.”
July 20, 1969, 2:03pm ET – The Apollo 11 Command Module “Columbia”, piloted by Mike Collins, seen from the Lunar Module “Eagle”, piloted by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, separated in lunar orbit prior to the Eagle’s descent to the Moon’s surface.
July 20, 1969 – Astronauts Charlie Duke, James Lovell, and Fred Haise in Houston’s Mission Control. Only astronauts on the ground communicated with those in the Apollo 11 spacecraft.
July 20, 1969, 3:47pm ET – Earth peaking around the horizon of the Moon, seen from the Apollo 11 lunar lander as it begins its descent towards the surface.
July 20, 1969 – Astronaut Dave Scott in Houston Mission Control during the Apollo 11 moon landing sequence.
July 20, 1969, 3:55pm – Computer displays at Houston Mission Control during the Apollo 11 lunar module’s descent to the Moon’s surface.
July 20, 1969, 4:00pm ET – Tense scenes in Houston Mission Control as they give Apollo 11 lunar module final “GO” to begin powered descent to the Moon’s surface.
July 20, 1969, 4:04pm ET – CBS TV control room watching the final minutes of Apollo 11 lunar module’s descent to the Moon’s surface.
July 20, 1969, 4:04pm ET – Travelers in New York’s JFK Airport watching the final minutes of Apollo 11’s descent to the Moon’s surface on TV.
July 20, 1969, 4:05pm ET – View out the Apollo 11 lunar module’s window as it comes in to land on the Moon’s surface.
July 20, 1969, 4:11pm ET – Tense faces in Houston Mission Control as alarms go off in the Apollo 11 lunar module, but the landing is still GO.
July 20, 1969, 4:12pm ET – Displays at Houston Mission Control tracking the final descent of the Apollo 11 lunar module.
July 20, 1969, 4:14pm ET – Apollo 11 lunar module begins to turn upright to land on the Moon’s surface. Warning alarms keep going off, but mission is GO.
July 20, 1969, 4:17pm ET – View out of the Apollo 11 lunar module at 200 feet above the Moon’s surface, moments before landing. Astronaut Neil Armstrong had to adjust the lander’s path to avoid a large crater.
July 20, 1969, 4:18pm ET – “Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”
July 20, 1969 – During the Apollo 11 moon landing, in which he had to take manual control to avoid a crater, and came within 15 seconds of running out of fuel, Neil Armstrong’s heart rate surged to 150 beats per minute.
July 20, 1969, 4:18pm ET – Relaxed faces in Houston Mission Control as the Apollo 11 lunar module “Eagle” reports that it has successfully landed on the Moon.
July 20, 1969, 4:18pm ET – The Apollo 12 Lunar Module crew, astronauts Pete Conrad and Al Bean, and, behind them, their backups Dave Scott and Jim Irwin, in Houston Mission Control watching the landing of the Apollo 11 “Eagle” on the Moon.
July 20, 1969, 4:19pm ET – Yankee Stadium breaks into applause, followed by a minute of silence, after the PA system announces that the Apollo 11 lunar module has landed on the Moon.
July 20, 1969 – Pope Paul VI watching the Apollo 11 moon landing on TV.
July 20, 1969, 4:22pm ET – The shadow of the Apollo 11 lunar module immediately after its successful landing on the Moon’s surface. They had 15 seconds of fuel left when they touched down.
Watch astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s account of the Apollo 11 moon landing, which had some real touch-and-go moments:
July 20, 1969, 5:30pm ET – First views of the lunar landscape from the Apollo 11 lander.
July 20, 1969 – Walter Cronkite covering the Apollo 11 moon landing live on CBS News.
July 20, 1969 – Pope Paul VI viewing the Moon through at telescope at the Vatican Observatory at Castel Gandolfo, Italy, during the Apollo 11 moon landing.
July 20, 1969, 7:48pm ET – Earth photographed by Apollo 11 astronaut Mike Collins, now orbiting the Moon alone in the Command Module “Columbia”.
July 20, 1969 – People gather in Trafalgar Square, London to watch the first man walk on the Moon.
July 20, 1969 – People gathered in New York’s Central Park to watch the first man walk on the Moon.
July 20, 1969 – Some people dressed up to watch the first man walk on the Moon, in New York’s Central Park.
July 20, 1969, 10:55pm ET – Neil Armstrong stands on the ladder of the Lunar Module, ready to step onto the Moon.
July 20, 1969, 10:56pm ET – With 600 million people watching on TV, astronaut Neil Armstrong steps onto the Moon. “That’s one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.”
July 20, 1969 – People gathered at an outdoor cafe in Milan, Italy to watch the first man set foot on the Moon.
July 20, 1969, 10:59pm ET – Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon, seen from the Lunar Module.
July 20, 1969 – People in New York’s Central Park watching the first man step onto the Moon.
July 20, 1969, 11:03pm ET – First photo taken by Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong on the Moon’s surface.
July 20, 1969, 11:05pm ET – One of the first pictures taken by Neil Armstrong on the Moon’s surface.
July 20, 1969, 11:06pm ET – Astronaut Neil Armstrong gathering a first sample of the Moon’s surface. “It has a stark beauty all its own. It’s like much of the high desert of the United States. It’s different but it’s very pretty out here.”
July 20, 1969, 11:12pm ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin begins to climb out of the Lunar Module to join Neil Armstrong on the surface of the Moon.
July 20, 1969, 11:14pm ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin climbing down the ladder of the Lunar Module onto the Moon’s surface.
July 20, 1969, 11:15pm ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin taking his first step onto the Moon’s surface.
July 20, 1969 – People in Sydney, Australia gathered outside a bank to watch the first men step onto the Moon on TV.
July 20, 1969 – Man in New York’s Times Square looking up to watch TV image of the first man stepping onto the Moon.
July 20, 1969, 11:36pm ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin next to a flag he has set up to detect solar wind, on the surface of the Moon.
July 20, 1969 – People on the streets of New York City walking past news off the Apollo 11 moon landing.
July 20, 1969 – People gathered in New York’s Central Park watching the first men walk on the Moon.
July 20, 1969 – People gathered outside New York City’s Time-Life building to watch man’s first steps onto the Moon.
July 20, 1969 – People gathered in a department store in Sydney, Australia to watch the first men walk on the Moon.
July 20, 1969, 11:42pm ET – Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin setting up the American flag on the Moon.
July 20, 1969, 11:43pm ET – Astronaut Buzz Aldrin saluting the American flag on the Moon, with Neil Armstrong in the background, as seen from the Lunar Module.
July 20, 1969, 11:43pm ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin saluting the American flag on the Moon.
July 20, 1969, 11:48pm ET – Shortly after the Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted the flag on the Moon, President Nixon spoke to them by phone, in a televised call:
July 21, 1969 – Family in Japan watching the TV broadcast of President Nixon speaking by phone to the Apollo 11 astronauts on the Moon’s surface.
July 20, 1969, 11:53pm ET – Family in France watching the Apollo 11 astronauts placing the American flag on the Moon.
July 20, 1969, 11:55pm ET – Aldrin on the Moon: “The blue color of my boots has completely disappeared now into this … still don’t know exactly what color to describe this other than greyish cocoa color.”
July 20, 1969, 11:58pm ET – One of the first footprints left by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon.
July 20, 1969 – People in New York City looking up to watch TV coverage of the first men walking on the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 12:01am ET – Astronaut Buzz Aldrin leaving a footprint on the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 12:04am ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin taking a photo of his shadow on the surface of the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 12:13am ET – Photo taken by astronaut Neil Armstrong of the plaque on the lower portion of the Lunar Module, which will be left behind on the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 12:14am ET – Astronaut Buzz Aldrin inspecting the landing pads of the Lunar Module.
July 21, 1969, 12:14am ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing on the surface of the Moon, photographed by Neil Armstrong.
July 21, 1969, 12:16am ET – The American flag on the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 12:17am ET – The Apollo 11 Lunar Module on the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 12:25am ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin unpacking some scientific equipment from the Lunar Module, on the Moon’s surface.
July 21, 1969 – NASA’s Chief Flight Director Gene Krantz and other Mission Control operators look on as the Apollo 11 astronauts walk on the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 12:30am ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin deploys equipment that will be left behind to monitor seismic activity on the Moon.
July 21, 1969 – Buzz Aldrin’s family and friends watch him walking on the Moon from his home in Texas. Aldrin’s wife, Joan, is in the polka-dot shirt.
July 21, 1969, 12:31am ET – Neil Armstrong on the Moon: “The boulders look like basalt.”
July 21, 1969, 12:35am ET – Astronaut Buzz Aldrin deploying seismic monitoring equipment on the surface of the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 12:47am ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin getting a core sample of the lunar surface.
July 21, 1969, 1:54am ET – The view out the window of the Lunar Module after the Apollo 11 astronauts reentered it from walking on the Moon. They will spend the night on the Moon’s surface before blasting off the next day.
July 21, 1969, 2:53am ET – Astronaut Neil Armstrong back in the lunar module after walking on the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 2:57am ET – Astronaut Buzz Aldrin back in the Lunar Module “Eagle” after walking on the Moon.
July 21, 1969 – New York Times: MEN WALK ON MOON.
July 21, 1969 – The Globe and Mail.
July 21, 1969 – The Washington Post.
July 21, 1969 – Passersby in Zurich, Switzerland watch the Apollo 11 Moon landing on screens in a television store.
July 21, 1969 – Australian Mutual Provident Society staff watching the Apollo 11 moon landing on Australian TV.
July 21, 1969 – Residents of Wapakoneta, Ohio put up a new sign.
July 21, 1969 – US troops in Saigon, South Vietnam read news about the Apollo 11 moon landing.
July 21, 1969 – People in The Netherlands reading the news about the American moon landing.
July 21, 1969 – Harry’s American Bar in Paris offers a cocktail in honor of the Apollo 11 astronauts.
July 21, 1969 – Reading about the Apollo 11 moon landing in Vancouver, Canada.
July 21, 1969 – New York Daily News.
July 21, 1969 – Sydney Morning Herald.
July 21, 1969 – Las Vegas Sun.
July 21, 1969 – The Soviet Russian newspaper Izvestia put stories about communism in Poland and the Soviet Luna 15 spacecraft above the fold, with a mention of the American Apollo 11 moon landing at the bottom of the front page (where the arrow is pointing).
July 21, 1969 – Where was Tranquility Base, the Apollo 11 landing site on the Moon?
July 21, 1969, 11:50 am ET – The Soviet unmanned Luna 15 probe failed to slow its descent and crashed into the Moon’s surface at 300 mph, about 500 miles northeast of the Apollo 11 landing site.
July 21, 1969, 1:40pm ET – Houston Mission Control countdown to lunar liftoff from the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 1:52pm – Houston Mission Control 2 minutes before blast-off for lunar ascent. This was a nervous moment, because it was the only part of the Apollo 11 mission without any back-up system.
July 21, 1969, 1:54pm ET – Ascent stage of the Lunar Module “Eagle” blasts off from the Moon’s surface, carrying Armstrong and Aldrin to rendezvous with Collins in the Command Module orbiting overhead.
An interesting article on what the Apollo 11 landing site looks like today:
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/apollo-moon-landing-site-today/594364/
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin sharing what he knows about the American flag he planted on the Moon.
July 1969 – The speech President Nixon had prepared to read if the Apollo 11 astronauts had died on the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 5:18pm ET – Ascent stage of the Lunar Module “Eagle” approaches the orbit of the Command Module “Columbia”.
July 21, 1969, 5:23pm ET – Ascent stage of the Lunar Module, carrying Armstrong and Aldrin back from the Moon’s surface, approaches the Command Module with the Earth rising behind it.
July 21, 1969, 5:30pm ET – Apollo 11 Lunar Module ascent stage, back from the Moon’s surface, maneuvers to dock with the Command Module orbiting the Moon.
July 21, 1969, 5:32pm ET – Apollo 11 Lunar Module ascent stage, carrying Armstrong and Aldrin back from the Moon’s surface, docking with the Command Module, with the Earth visible behind it.
July 21, 1969, 7:41pm ET – The Apollo 11 crew safety returned to their Command Module, in lunar orbit, the ascent stage of the Lunar Module “Eagle”, now empty, is jettisoned into space.
July 22, 1969, 1:08am ET – Apollo 11 Command Module beginning burn to leave Moon’s orbit and return home.
July 22, 1969, 2:04am ET – Apollo 11 spacecraft leaving Moon’s orbit to return to Earth.
July 22, 1969, 3:30pm ET – Earth and Moon seen from the returning Apollo 11 Command Module, now 170,500 nautical miles (316,000 km) from Earth, traveling at 4,000 feet per second (4,444 km/h, 2,760 mph, Mach 3.6).
July 22, 1969 – New York Times: Two astronauts lift off from Moon, link up with third, start home.
July 22, 1969, 9:10pm ET – TV transmission from the Apollo 11 spacecraft on its way back to Earth.
July 22, 1969, 9:13pm ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong shows viewers the rock samples he collected on the Moon’s surface, in a TV broadcast on the way back to Earth.
CBS News Report on the Moon rock samples collected by Apollo 11, 50 years later:
July 22, 1969, 9:15pm ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin shows viewers how he makes a drink out of Tang powder, in a TV broadcast on the way back to Earth.
July 22, 1969, 9:17pm ET – Houston Mission Control watching a TV transmission from the Apollo 11 astronauts, on the way back to Earth.
July 22, 1969, 10:30pm ET – Apollo 11 astronauts inside their Command Module, on the way back to Earth.
July 22, 1969, 10:30pm ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Mike Collins shaving in the Command Module on its way back to Earth.
July 23, 1969 – New York Times: Astronauts coasting homeward, accelerated by Earth’s gravity; nation plans mammoth welcome.
July 23, 1969, 7:00pm ET – Apollo 11 astronauts make another live TV transmission from space, on their way back to Earth.
July 24, 1969, 7:30am ET – The returning Apollo 11 spacecraft is now 38,100 miles (70,600 km) from Earth, approaching it at a velocity of 10,000 feet per second (11,000 km/h, 6,845 mph, Mach 8.9).
July 24, 1969 – New York Times: Apollo 11 astronauts to splash down today.
July 24, 1969, 10:51am ET – The returning Apollo 11 spacecraft is making its final approach to Earth, traveling at 15,110 feet per second (16,580 km/h, 10,300 mph, Mach 13.4) and rapidly accelerating, pulled by the Earth’s gravity.
July 24, 1969, 12:36pm ET – Apollo 11 spacecraft reenters Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of over 36,000 feet per second (nearly 25,000 miles per hour, or 40,000 km/h) – the fastest human beings have ever traveled.
July 24, 1969, 12:50pm ET – Apollo 11 capsule splashes down in the central Pacific Ocean, where the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) is positioned to recover it.
July 24, 1969, 1:25pm ET – President Richard Nixon on the bridge of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12), watching the recovery of the Apollo 11 capsule, which just splashed down in the central Pacific Ocean.
July 24, 1969, 1:28pm ET – President Nixon on the bridge of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) watching the recovery of the Apollo 11 capsule and crew.
July 24, 1969, 1:28pm ET: Recovery team dropped from US Navy helicopter opens the hatch of the Apollo 11 spacecraft after splashing down in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
July 24, 1969, 1:29pm ET – US Navy helicopter hovering over the Apollo 11 capsule, after splashdown in the central Pacific Ocean.
July 24, 1969, 1:30pm ET – Film footage of the recovery of the Apollo 11 capsule and crew after they splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, back from landing on the Moon.
July 24, 1969, 1:30pm ET – The three Apollo 11 astronauts on a inflatable raft, outside their capsule after it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
July 24, 1969, 1:31pm ET – The Apollo 11 capsule after it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
July 24, 1969, 1:31pm ET – Apollo 11 astronauts floating next to their capsule. They and the recovery crew are wearing anti-contamination suits in case they’ve brought back any germs or toxic material from the Moon.
July 24, 1969 – People in New York’s Central Park watching the recovery of the Apollo 11 capsule on a large TV screen.
July 24, 1969, 1:46pm ET – The three Apollo 11 astronauts plus a Navy frogman floating next to their capsule awaiting recovery by helicopter in the central Pacific Ocean.
July 24, 1969, 1:49pm ET – US Navy helicopter lowering a basket to recover the Apollo 11 astronauts, floating below.
July 24, 1969, 1:49pm ET – View from US Navy helicopter of the Apollo 11 astronauts and capsule, floating below after their return from the Moon.
July 24, 1969, 1:51pm ET – Apollo 11 astronauts Mike Collins and Buzz Aldrin wave to the camera as Neil Armstrong prepares to be lifted to a US Navy helicopter hovering above.
July 24, 1969, 1:52pm ET – Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong is lifted to a US Navy helicopter hovering above his floating spacecraft.
July 24, 1969 – In Huntsville, Alabama, Wernher von Braun – whose team of German engineers imagined and designed the Saturn V rocket – is hoisted onto the shoulders of a crowd celebrating the successful return of the Apollo 11 astronauts from the Moon.
July 24, 1969, 1:57pm ET – US Navy helicopter carrying the Apollo 11 astronauts, recovered from their capsule after it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, lands on the flight deck of the USS Hornet (CV-12).
July 24, 1969, 2:01pm ET – President Richard Nixon watches the US Navy helicopter carrying the recovered Apollo 11 astronauts land on the fight deck of the USS Hornet.
July 24, 1969, 2:06pm ET – The Apollo 11 astronauts exit the US Navy helicopter that recovered them from their splashdown in the ocean, after being lowered by elevator to the main hanger deck of the USS Hornet.
July 24, 1969, 2:06pm ET – The Apollo 11 astronauts, wearing anti-contamination suits, step immediately from their helicopter into a medical quarantine trailer on the main hanger deck of the USS Hornet.
July 24, 1969, 2:23pm ET – Joyous celebrations at Houston’s Mission Control, at the successful return of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.
July 24, 1969, 2:23pm ET – Celebrations at Houston’s Mission Control, at the successful return of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.
July 24, 1969, 2:55pm ET – The recovered Apollo 11 command module waiting to be lifted onto the flight deck of the USS Hornet.
July 24, 1969, 2:55pm ET – The recovered Apollo 11 command module is lifted onto the flight deck of the USS Hornet.
July 24, 1969, 2:57pm ET – President Nixon and the crew of the USS Hornet gather to welcome the Apollo 11 astronauts back to Earth, from the confines of their quarantine trailer.
July 24, 1969, 2:58pm ET – TV broadcast of President Nixon welcoming the Apollo 11 astronauts back from the Moon, aboard the USS Hornet, shortly after their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
July 24, 1969, 2:58pm ET – President Nixon welcomes the Apollo 11 astronauts back from the Moon, from the confines of their quarantine trailer aboard the USS Hornet.
July 24, 1969, 3:02pm ET – President Nixon and the Apollo 11 astronauts bow their heads in prayer of thanksgiving for their safe return from the Moon, onboard the USS Hornet after their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
July 24, 1969 – Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins, and Buzz Aldrin, back home on Earth after their trip to the Moon.
July 24, 1969 – Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong plucking on a ukulele as he faces 18 days of quarantine in an isolation trailer with his fellow crew members, after arriving safely back from the Moon.
July 25, 1969 – New York Times: Astronauts back from the Moon, begin 18 days in quarantine.
July 27, 1969 – Apollo 11 astronauts in their quarantine trailer arrive by transport plane in Houston, Texas, after being flown there via Hawaii.
July 27, 1969 – Apollo 11 astronauts are reunited with their wives and children from the confines of their quarantine trailer, after being flown in it to Houston, Texas.
July 27, 1969 – Apollo 11 astronauts relaxing in their quarantine trailer, after their safe arrival back from the Moon.
July 30, 1969 – President Nixon continued on to make a surprise visit to U.S. troops fighting in South Vietnam.
August 7, 1969 – NASA scientists announce that, after testing, the lunar rocks and soil brought back by the Apollo 11 astronauts show “no positive traces of life”.
August 8, 1969 – The Beatles had their iconic photograph taken of their crossing of London’s Abbey Road, as the cover for their record album of the same name.
August 9, 1969 – On orders from Charles Manson, members of the Manson Family invaded the Los Angeles home of film director Roman Polanski and his wife, actress Sharon Tate.
August 10, 1969 – The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from quarantine to rejoin the outside world.
The original Apollo 11 quarantine trailer can be seen today at the National Air and Space Museum annex outside Dulles Airport.
August 13, 1969 – New York City holds ticker tape parade for the Apollo 11 astronauts returned from the Moon.
Thank you for joining me on this journey of remembrance of the Apollo 11 mission to land on the Moon. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Take a moment with me to finish the journey where it began:
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