On July 16, 1969, the United States of America landed two American astronauts on the moon. Niel Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were the first men to ever walk on the lunar surface. What followed was a journey that has been immortalized in history books and documentaries alike.
Interesting Facts About Apollo 11
Here are 10 interesting facts about Apollo 11, the manned mission that changed space exploration forever.
As the crew of three astronauts prepared for their historic mission, they faced a unique challenge: how to provide for their families in case the landing went wrong. At the time, life insurance companies refused to cover astronauts because of the risks involved in space travel. As a result, the men decided to sign photos that their families could auction off in case of their death. Thankfully, the landing was successful and the photos were never needed. But their signed images remain a testament to the brave men who risk their lives to explore the unknown.
Jeff Bezos funded a team that searched for rockets from NASA that were thrown away in the Atlantic Ocean. By 2013, after many years of searching and countless hours spent meticulously cataloging their findings, the team felt sure that they had discovered some of the rockets used by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to reach the moon on Apollo 11. After careful inspection and analysis of the recovered pieces, it became clear that this was indeed true.
When the Apollo 11 mission was on the verge of being aborted, it was Margaret Hamilton who stepped in to save the day. As the lead flight software designer for Project Apollo, she was tasked with writing, testing, and running all of the code that powered the lunar module on its journey to the moon. It was a complex set of instructions that required incredible attention to detail and an intricate understanding of engineering principles. When a last-minute glitch threatened to abort the launch, it was Margaret’s quick thinking and expert coding skills that enabled her software to run seamlessly under pressure.
When NASA mistakenly auctioned off a historic bag used by Apollo 11 astronauts to collect the first lunar sample, it came as a huge shock to many. After all, the iconic space mission was one of the most important moments in human history, and this simple souvenir bag carried with it a legacy of wonder and discovery that had captured the imagination of people all over the world. But when the buyer tried to send the precious artifact back to NASA for verification, he received quite a surprise: instead of welcoming the return of such an important piece of its past, the space agency refused to accept it. Apparently, this wasn’t just any old bag – it held some kind of special significance inside NASA that made them reluctant to let it out of their possession again.
The Apollo 11 moon landing conspiracy theory is one of the most enduring conspiracy theories of all time. The theory goes that the landing never happened and that it was instead staged as part of a secret government plot. There are many different variants of the theory, but they all boil down to the same basic idea: that the moon landing was faked, and that the footage of it was filmed in a studio. Over 400,000 individuals would need to be a part of the conspiracy for the Apollo 11 moon landing theory to be correct.
As the lunar module descended to the surface of the moon, it ran into unexpected difficulties. The landing site was rocky and uneven, making it hard for the module to find a level spot to touch down. With their fuel running low, the astronauts had to make a difficult decision. They could either abort the landing and return to Earth, or they could risk everything and continue on with only 25 seconds of fuel remaining. thankfully, they decided to go for it, and Apollo 11 made a successful landing. It was a close call, but it proved that humans could achieve anything if they were willing to take risks.
As millions of people around the world watched the historic event unfold on television, they were also treated to an unforgettable musical performance. In the background of the English broadcast of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the world-famous rock band Pink Floyd was jamming live in the BBC studios.
Most people would be surprised to learn that the flag that was planted on the moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts was bought for just $5.50 at Sears. The flag itself was made by Annin, one of the oldest and most respected flagmakers in the United States.
After their historic journey, the three astronauts dubbed “the men from the moon” were quarantined for 21 days to ensure that they were not carrying any alien microbes back to Earth. This quarantine was seen as a prudent measure, given that scientists were not sure what organisms might exist on the moon and could pose a threat to life on our planet.
What many don’t realize is that the original footage of Neil Armstrong’s historic first steps on the moon was intentionally erased by NASA. This decision came about as a result of concern over scrambling magnetic tapes for future use.
