Monday, July 20, 2009

The Eagle has landed


Little by little, they grew closer, steady, as if on rails, and I thought 'What a beautiful sight,'one that had to be recorded. As I reached for my Hasselblad, suddenly the Earth popped up over the horizon, directly behind Eagle. I could not have staged it any better, but the alignment was not of my doing, just a happy coincidence. I suspect a lot of good photography is like that, some serendipitous happenstance beyond the control of the photographer. But at any rate, as I clicked away, I realized that for the first time, in one frame, appeared three billion earthlings, two explorers, and one moon. The photographer, of course, was discreetly out of view.

-- Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot - Apollo 11


Launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 9:32 a.m. ET aboard a Saturn V rocket, Apollo 11 included a command module dubbed Columbia and a lunar lander called the Eagle.

The lander was named after the bald eagle in the mission insignia.

Apollo 11's journey to the moon took three and a half days.

During that time the astronauts "just kind of gazed out the window at the Earth getting smaller and smaller, did housekeeping things, checking the spacecraft," Aldrin recalled.

As the craft passed through the shadow of the moon and started its approach, Aldrin and Armstrong got into the spider-like lunar module and began their descent.

The landing process didn't go flawlessly. Alarms sounded when the computer couldn't keep up with the data stream: "Nothing serious—it was distracting," Aldrin said.

"Neil didn't like what we were heading toward, and we selected a safer spot alongside a crater with boulders in it. We landed with a little less fuel than we would have liked to have had, maybe 20 seconds of fuel left."

Aldrin insists that he felt no real fear about landing on the moon.

Nevertheless, he said, "we kind of practiced liftoff [for] the first two hours. … We both felt that was the most prudent thing to do after touching down, was to prepare to depart if we had to."

Finally, with half a billion people watching on televisions across the world, the astronauts emerged from the Eagle to spend another two hours exploring the lunar surface.

The pair planted an American flag and placed mementos for fallen peers.

Armstrong uttered his famous first words, reportedly unscripted: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Armstrong and Aldrin logged 21 hours on the moon—spending the last and longest portion of it trying to sleep in the frigid lander.

40 years on, this post pays tribute to the moon landing mission that translated a human dream into reality!

Footnotes:

Image Courtesy: Boston Globe, The Big Picture - Remembering Apollo 11

The above post is not my creation. It has been reproduced verbatim from the archives of the National Geographic Channel and is accessible here - MOON LANDING FACTS: Apollo 11 at 40

NASA's feature on the Moon Landing Mission

The prelude to Apollo 11

18 comments:

  1. Hmmm..with space expeditions again...

    now, don't end up with dreadful visions, Rak ;-))

    wishes,
    devika

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  2. man landed on moon 40 years back but we still cant reconcile to living in peace!

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  3. Nice post.
    But I always wanted to know. There have been reports and even footages stating that landing on moon was all a set up. I dont know if you had seen that video ! But all thats mentioned in the video looks so true !!

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  4. Nice post rakesh.

    As Neil said " One small step for man for man , but a giant leap for mankind" cant get any better.

    Hope one day we see in our lifetime men landing and exploring mars.

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  5. Its awe to imagine how astonishes the astronauts must felt landing on a lonely planet. The picture was splendid!

    Being marked the 40 year of Apollo 11 landing on moon and tomorrow being the total solar eclipse, it connect well with earth and moon, where the shadow of moon gonna fall on earth.

    Nice post rakesh.

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  6. In formative post,
    My wish is to fly to the Moon ;)

    Hi Rakesh
    I am all checked everything was okay.
    I was just fainted and ended up wrong.
    I am now equipped because I've slept a lot.
    I have a part of my face blue with a little yellow ;(
    Thanks for all the kind words :)
    Anya :)

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  7. I so agree with Magiceye's comment!We, the technologically advanced humans still dunno how to live as ONE. Sadly.

    Keshi.

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  8. "I suspect a lot of good photography is like that, some serendipitous happenstance beyond the control of the photographer." that line was surreal.

    Man isn't satisfied profaning earth.. they have to pollute the poor moon.

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  9. Devika Chechi

    Well....yes! But I guess those dreams are forever....nothing can remove them!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  10. Magiceye

    Quite true! I wonder when we will be civilized more than being tech savvy!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  11. Vimmuuu

    Yes, a number of such claims are doing the rounds.....some of them being aired on the national geographic too!
    No one knows for sure......but I'd like to believe that the moon landing happened!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  12. Venky

    Thanks pal!

    Lets hope so too......and lets also hope we learn peaceful co-existence!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  13. Jeevan

    Yes, a lot of news on astronomy back to back! ;)

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  14. Anya

    Why leave mother Earth? ;)
    Am glad to know that you are feeling well!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  15. Keshi

    Me too!

    What use is it to be so technologically advanced when we fail to respect our fellow beings?

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  16. Aria

    Thats my fav line too!

    And like you said, Poor Moon!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  17. I still remember being awake to watch the TV... ;) Incredible!!

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  18. Gil

    What a remarkable moment it would have been, to witness history in the making!

    Truly incredible!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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