Apollo 11 Mission [UPSC Notes]

In the science and technology section of the UPSC syllabus, the Space Programs are important for the IAS exam. In this article, you will read about NASA’s Apollo Mission 11.

Aspirants can also download the PDF at the end and refer to related links for other such important topics.

Apollo 11 Mission

Apollo missions were space-flight programs carried out from 1961 to 1972 by NASA which landed the first astronauts on the moon.

• The Apollo program consisted of 11 total space flights. The first crewed flight occurred in 1968 and the final mission occurred in 1972.
• It was the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first humans on the moon.

Neil Armstrong on the Moon

‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.

Apollo 11 Details

• On 20th July 1969, the Apollo 11 crew successfully completed the national goal set by the then American President John F Kennedy to perform a crewed lunar landing and return to earth.
• Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 16th July 1969 and was the fifth crewed mission of NASA’s Apollo program.
• It carried Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. 
• On 20th July 1969 humans walked on another world for the first time in history. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin explored the area around their lunar landing site. They gathered soil and rock samples, planted an American flag, set up experiments and left behind medallions honouring the Apollo 1 astronauts who lost their lives in a launch pad fire and a plaque saying, “we came in peace for all mankind”. 
• NASA developed novel vehicles specifically for Apollo, most famously the Saturn Ⅴ rocket. It consisted of three stages – the S-IC first stage, S-Ⅱ second stage and the S-ⅣB third stage and the instrument unit.

Image source: NASA

Apollo 11 Mission (Moon Landing):- Download PDF Here