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Remembering Apollo 11

40 years ago, three human beings - with the help of many thousands of others - left our planet on a successful journey to our Moon, setting foot on another world for the first time. Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the July 16, 1969 launch of Apollo 11, with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. aboard. The entire trip lasted only 8 days, the time spent on the surface was less than one day, the entire time spent walking on the moon, a mere 2 1/2 hours - but they were surely historic hours. Scientific experiments were deployed (at least one still in use today), samples were collected, and photographs were taken to document the entire journey. Collected here are 40 images from that journey four decades ago, when, in the words of astronaut Buzz Aldrin: "In this one moment, the world came together in peace for all mankind". (40 photos total)

The view from the Apollo 11 Command and Service Module (CSM) "Columbia" shows the Earth rising above the Moon's horizon on July 20th, 1969. The lunar terrain pictured is in the area of Smyth's Sea on the nearside. (NASA)

German scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun explains the Saturn Launch System to President John F. Kennedy during a visit. NASA Deputy Administrator Robert Seamans is to the left of von Braun. (NASA) #

Astronaut Neil Armstrong on a one-day Gemini VIII mission in March of 1966. Gemini was a stepping-stone project, working toward the upcoming Apollo missions. (NASA/Space Frontiers/Getty Images) #

Astronaut Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 mission commander, floats safely to the ground after an accident during a training session on May 6th, 1968. The Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) exploded only seconds before while Armstrong was rehearsing a lunar landing at Ellington Air Force Base near the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC). This photo is an enlargement of a frame from a 16mm documentary motion picture recorded during the mishap. (NASA) #

Neil Armstrong (left) watches Buzz Aldrin take a documentary photo of a sample during a training session on February 24th, 1969. (NASA) #

Michael Collins works in a Command Module simulator (with an assistant beside him). (NASA) #

Neil Armstrong poses for a photograph at the Lunar Landing Research Facility at NASA Langley in Virginia on February 12, 1969. (NASA) #

An official NASA portrait of astronaut Buzz Aldrin. (NASA) #

An aerial view of the 363 foot-tall (111 m) Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket rollout from the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida on May 20th, 1969. (NASA) #

The Apollo 11 crew and Donald K. "Deke" Slayton look over charts during the traditional launch day breakfast of steak and eggs on July 16, 1969. (NASA) #

A technician works atop the white room, through which the astronauts will enter the spacecraft, while other technicians look on from the launch tower at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 1969. (NASA) #

Every console was manned in firing room 1 of the Kennedy Space Flight Center (KSC) control center during the launch countdown for Apollo 11. (NASA). #

Lift-off of the Saturn V rocket, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr, along with 6,700,000 pounds (3,039,000 kg) of fuel and equipment into the Florida sky, bound for the Moon, on July 16th, 1969. (NASA) #

A 70mm Airborne Lightweight Optical Tracking System (ALOTS) camera, mounted in a pod on a cargo door of a U.S. Air Force EC-135N aircraft photographed this event in the early moments of the Apollo 11 launch. The mated Saturn V second and third stages pull away from the expended first stage. Separation occurred at an altitude of about 38 miles, some 55 miles downrange from Cape Kennedy. (NASA) #

A view of Earth from orbit shortly after launch, July, 1969. (NASA) #

Lunar module pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, inside the module as it makes its way toward the Moon, July, 1969. (NASA) #

Looking back over their shoulder, an Apollo astronaut takes a photograph of the Earth during the long translunar coast. The body and some thruster nozzles of the Lunar Module are visible in the foreground. (NASA) #

Most of Africa and portions of Europe and Asia can be seen in this photograph taken from the Apollo 11 spacecraft during its translunar coast toward the moon. Apollo 11 was already 98,000 nautical miles from Earth when this picture was made on July 17th, 1969. (NASA) #

Arriving and entering into Lunar orbit. Seen below are craters Sabine and Ritter, and mountains stretching back to the horizon on July 19th, 1969. (NASA) #

Looking down at the Command and Service Module (center), with the Moon's surface below, as seen from the now-separated Lunar Module (LM), on its way to the surface. The proiminent crater is Schmidt crater. This is the last photo taken from the LM prior to the powered descent, and eventually the landing one orbit later. (NASA) #

Television footage of the first human footstep on Lunar soil on July 20, 1969. Astronaut Neil Armstrong took these first steps, followed shortly by Buzz Aldrin. This is a reproduction of the television image that was transmitted to the world on July 20th, 1969. (NASA) #

A close-up view of astronaut Buzz Aldrin's boot and bootprint in the lunar soil, photographed with a 70mm lunar surface camera during the Apollo 11 lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA) on July 20th, 1969. (NASA) #

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on his way to the Lunar surface for the LM on July 20th, 1969. (NASA) #

Buzz Aldrin took this picture of Neil Armstrong in the cabin after the completion of the first EVA. This is the face of the first man to set foot on the Moon, just hours earlier, on July 20th, 1969. (NASA) #

From Wikipedia contributor Rufus330Ci: "This is a picture of my mother holding the Washington News Paper on Monday, July 21st 1969 stating 'The Eagle Has Landed Two Men Walk on the Moon'. The photo was taken by my grandfather Jack Weir (1928-2005)" #

During their 2 1/2 hour EVA, Astronauts deployed a number of science experiments. Here, Buzz Aldrin is seen carrying the Laser Ranging Retroreflector Experiment (LRRR) and a seismometer to measure Moonquakes. (NASA) #

Close-up of the north footpad of the Lunar Module, with some lunar soil piled up beneath, evidence of a tiny amount of drift during the landing. (NASA) #

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, photographed by Neil Armstrong (visible in reflection). Buzz Aldrin: "As I walked away from the Eagle Lunar Module, Neil said 'Hold it, Buzz', so I stopped and turned around, and then he took what has become known as the 'Visor' photo. I like this photo because it captures the moment of a solitary human figure against the horizon of the Moon, along with a reflection in my helmet's visor of our home away from home, the Eagle, and of Neil snapping the photo. Here we were, farther away from the rest of humanity than any two humans had ever ventured. Yet, in another sense, we became inextricably connected to the hundreds of millions watching us more than 240,000 miles away. In this one moment, the world came together in peace for all mankind." (quoted with permission from Apollo Through the Eyes of the Astronauts). (NASA) #

Post-deployment documentation photo of the Laser Ranging Retroreflector Experiment (LRRR). For the past 40 years, the retroreflectors were used in conjunction with a dedicated facility at the McDondald Observatory in Texas to accurately measure the distance to the Moon. These experiments discovered, among other things, that the moon is moving away from Earth at a rate of 2.5 inches per year. The National Science Foundation recently terminated funding for the McDonald Laser ranging station, with continued measuements to be made by two other facilities. (NASA) #

View of Earth above the Lunar Module on July 20th, 1969. (NASA). #

Interior view of the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) in the Mission Control Center (MCC), Building 30, during the Apollo 11 lunar extravehicular activity (EVA). The television monitor shows astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. on the surface of the moon, July 20, 1969. (NASA) #

Panorama of the view out Buzz Aldrin's window over the thrusters after the EVA. (NASA) #

A memorial plaque, attached to a leg of the Lunar Module. The plaque reads: "Here Men From The Planet Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We Came in Peace For All Mankind." (NASA) #

A bright halo around the shadow of Buzz Aldrin's helmet, the sun directly behind his head. (NASA) #

After lifting off from the Moon, Eagle approaches the Command Module during rendezvous. Astronaut Michael Collins, who remained on board the Command Module for the entire trip, remembers taking this photograph: "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." (quoted with permission from Apollo Through the Eyes of the Astronauts) (NASA) #

This view of the whole full moon was photographed from the Apollo 11 spacecraft during its trans-Earth journey homeward. When this picture was taken, the spacecraft was already 10,000 nautical miles away, on July 21st, 1969. (NASA) #

A black and white photograph of the Earth taken during the trip home from the Moon. (NASA) #

Apollo 11 crew and a Navy diver await pickup after a safe splashdown east of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean on July 24th, 1969. (NASA) #

Astronauts Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin (left to right) in their isolation van on-board the recovery ship U.S.S Hornet are greeted by U.S. President Richard M. Nixon on July 24th, 1969. (NASA) #

New York City welcomes Apollo 11 crewmen in a showering of ticker tape down Broadway and Park Avenue in a parade termed as the largest in the city's history on August 13, 1969. Pictured in the lead car, from the right, are astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, command module pilot; and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot. (NASA) #

More links and information

Apollo 40th Anniversary - NASA

Project Apollo - Image gallery

We Choose The Moon - Interactive site from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Showcase: Our Moon - NYT Lens Blog

Apollo 11 - Wikipedia entry

When astronauts photographed on the Moon Off The Shelf, Boston.com, 7/13

Man and Machine - The real legacy of the moon race Boston Globe Ideas section, 7/12

Again, to the moon - and beyond Thoughts from Stephen Hawking, Boston.com, 7/15

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#102 -- think: One side of the Earth always faces the Moon? Please name the sad countries that never see the moon rise or set or shine overhead. Some of the rest of you need to go back to school, too -- The flag was braced to "wave", if the stars were visible everything else would be completely overexposed, etc. We aren't taking payload-bays full of dollar bills and dumping them in orbit! Every dollar spent on the space program represents a dollar someone ON EARTH was paid for doing his or her job ON EARTH in support of SOME industry -- farmers whose crops feed the janitors at NASA get paid, too, and THEY ALSO buy stuff with their money, maybe from you! The Space Program = JOB$! Thanks, Big Picture, for a great blog! NOW, ON TO MARS!

Posted by warrenwr July 16, 09 10:38 AM

Thank you for the inspiration. I wrote a blogpost, Once and Future Missions, beginning with my memories of the launch....

http://www.reflexivity.us/blog/archives/2009/07/once-and-future.html

"Forty years ago, my dad embarrassed me by stopping on a winding highway in the Colorado Rockies and waving down other drivers asking if they wanted to watch the moon launch. I was six years old. We were on the annual summer camping trip. Dad had had the foresight ..."

Posted by a dark ally July 16, 09 10:57 AM

Nice pictures as always!

Un saludo

Posted by pabliyo July 16, 09 10:58 AM

Arlo: the video camera which recorded Neil Armstrong's first step wasn't entirely automatic; Armstrong had to stop momentarily in his descent down the latter to pull a cord which released the camera's spring-loaded arm to swing out and also triggered the camera to begin transmitting. A pull-cord is disappointingly low-tech, I admit, but it worked. ;-)

Flag flapping -- the flag had a telescoping rod along the top to make it stand out straight (since it would look pathetic hanging limp with no air), but the crew were unable to get it to deploy fully. This left the flag hanging with a crimp in it, a bit like it was being blown in the wind. The effect was so dramatic that subsequent Apollo missions often deliberately kept the rod slightly in so that the flag would have a ripple in it. It's the exact same effect you can get with curtains if they're shorter than the rod.

The flag later flapped quite violently during the ascent module's liftoff, blown by the ship's exhaust. It is believed that it tipped over entirely during this, but of course there was no going back to check. Maybe LRO will have neough resolution to tell -- if the flag hasn't entirely disintegrated in the unfiltered sunlight. (It's not a special fabric, and fabric doesn't hold up well to sunlight, even on Earth.)

Posted by Calli Arcale July 16, 09 11:22 AM

Great stuff. Thank you very much. God Bless America !!! Brought tears. I was almost 10 and watched in awe.... Like yesterday.

Posted by Brazzel July 16, 09 11:29 AM

Q: "why does the american flag move like there is wind in the lunar air??"

A: The flag is open because of a horizontal bar at the top. However, I think you are referring to the "ripples" in the flag. This is due to the flag pole being moved while the astronauts installed it. Since there is no air, harmonic waves similar to dropping a stone in a lake, continue to wave the flag much longer than would be on Earth. Eventually the flag would settle.

Posted by Morris July 16, 09 11:52 AM

parxier ~re #35: NO earthlings are visible in the picture but the whole earth is there. In photos of you your backside is still there and it exists even though the camera doesn't record it and if there was a bug on your back it would exist too. The awesomeness of that picture is that the earth, the moon and the lander are all there. Everything (everyone) in our small universe, save the planets behind us, are represented in that picture, everything but the photographer himself. Makes him totally unique and the picture amazing.
I sure wish the plaque on the lander said 'people' instead of 'men'. and 'humankind' or 'humanity' instead of 'mankind' not very generous of the guys is it.nice of the guys to hog all the glory .

Posted by wandalee July 16, 09 11:57 AM

Beautiful - It is hard to believe that it has been 40 years.

thanks for the amazing pictures

Posted by Bruce Baker July 16, 09 11:58 AM

In the "Visor" photo, Aldrin's shadow directs at the front of him, thou on his reflection it goes back. Pretty optically impossible, isn't it?

Posted by Felipe Méndez July 16, 09 12:36 PM

A fantastic series of photographs of what is arguably mans greatest engineering feat. I was just a young boy but I remember watching the television whilst at school.

Posted by Greg Thompson of Perth Western Australia July 16, 09 12:39 PM

wonderful and amazing pictures bringing tears of joy.

Posted by saraswathi kannan July 16, 09 01:02 PM

We'll back!

Posted by hw July 16, 09 01:19 PM

You just got my heart pumping and tears flowing. Been working outside today and looked up to see the waxing moon. Decided to go check the news. This is the best I found. Thanks much. And I was 15 then...... time does fly. We should fly like this AGAIN!

Posted by D. Mark D. July 16, 09 01:23 PM

@Wandalee #141: "I sure wish the plaque on the lander said 'people' instead of 'men'. and 'humankind' or 'humanity' instead of 'mankind' not very generous of the guys is it.nice of the guys to hog all the glory ."

I don't think any reasonable person reads the text of the plaque as an overt effort to exclude women. It's context--deal with it. Our language would be poorer, by far, if everything we said/wrote had to be explicit and literal. After all, many, many men _and women_ participated in the effort to put 12 men on the Moon. Stating that every person who walked on the Moon (so far) had a Y chromosome does no dishonor to those without one--it's just the way it is.

Posted by Chris Anderson July 16, 09 01:38 PM

Does anybody know what kind of glasses Kennedy is wearing in #2?

Posted by Sam July 16, 09 01:48 PM

Fabulous pictures.
For those asking about how the control room looks today, here's a photo: http://futurshox.net/aeroview.php?level=image&id=1818 I took this in 2003 but was there a couple of months ago and it's still like this.

Posted by Jo July 16, 09 01:50 PM

@Felipe Mendez #143:
"In the "Visor" photo, Aldrin's shadow directs at the front of him, thou on his reflection it goes back. Pretty optically impossible, isn't it?"

How so? Aldrin's shadow is in front of him in both the foreground of the photo, and in the reflection. Armstrong's shadow (seen only in the reflection) is behind him, because he's facing the opposite direction that Aldrin is (since the two men are facing each other). A bit of sloppy reasoning on your part, I'm afraid--next time think it through carefully before posting, please.

Posted by Chris Anderson July 16, 09 01:52 PM

This sure takes me back when America was once an incredible powerhouse of technology that is quickly waning since we have outsourced everything to India and China. It is saddens to me to see how many Americans forget the contributions made by engineers in our society and that they are no longer needed in our society. It is nice to see photos that remember when the USA was a real leader in many respects as oppose today. I loved this time when we were real explorers.

Posted by JC July 16, 09 01:53 PM

Fabulous pictures, what a feat of innovation and imagination.
"We Came in Peace For All Mankind"- Yeah, I get a bit teary. The idealism of it, that this triumph wasn't just for America, it was for humanity. Just electrifying.
Still, makes me intensely proud of America, a shining moment.

Posted by Belvoir July 16, 09 01:54 PM

I was just a little girl in kindegarden but I still have vivid memories of watching the teacher roll out a television so we could all watch as they landed and ultimately walked on the moon. I was so awestruck then and am even more as I look at the International Space Station and all it represents. I believe we will one day get to Mars but we need to figure out how the create artificial gravity if we're going to do it. We need a strong leader to take a stand and push us to colonize the moon and take us to Mars!!

Awesome pictures. They brought back some exciting memories.

Posted by Sammie Falls July 16, 09 02:09 PM

I still remember how excited I was when, as a seven year old, my Father came to get me out of bed - it was about 2am over here - to watch the landing on TV.

I 'still' want to go to the moon...

Posted by Richard July 16, 09 02:22 PM

I remember the mad rush that week to buy our first color TV so that we could watch the event "in living color"... I remember the absolute awe and amazement, the heart-stopping wonder of it all -- a man, not terribly unlike any other man, actually on the moon! The promise of a future in space, the unbounded exploration of the universe.

Heady times for a young boy who aspired to be a scientist, and conquer new worlds! My kids just don't have a frame of reference for it.

Posted by Stan Hanks July 16, 09 02:38 PM

Amazing. I was just coming up 7 and my dad got me out of bed to watch this saying it would be something to be remembered forever. How right he was. Im now a photographer and still in oar of the images.

Posted by shane miller July 16, 09 02:46 PM

Wow.

Posted by Anonymous July 16, 09 02:58 PM

What a horror - imagine you come from moon, and the first person you see is Richard Nixon!

Posted by harald-the-bow July 16, 09 03:22 PM

Hi everyone, i'm Beppe from Italy and i would like to make a question (i'm sorry if someone already asked it)..is there anyone who can tell me something more particular about what Armstrong and others saw on the moon?
Newspaper today says only that Armstrong didn't want to speak about ufo and strange lights and also if i know that there are one million of theory, i hope to read some true information. Thank you very much.
However i don't forget the value and beauty of this event, "we came in peace for all mankind" represents for me an evolution of the human being cuase space resize our small, light, often hostile conceptions. We should have to came in peace on earth too! Peace :)

Posted by Beppe July 16, 09 03:24 PM

I remember the day well. Vacationing at the NJ shore with my two small children, we were gluded to the tv. Who know I would be at NASA working for space program. The astronauts are my heros, such brave men and women. I am proud to be part of the space program. And yes, these pictures are awesome,

Posted by Arlene July 16, 09 03:28 PM

Thank you for the memories, and everyone's comments. I was six and dad made my brothers and I stay up & watch on color tv, like some others posted. I was blown away. The photos take me right back- just like they took back so many other commenters. I am also glad to read about folks who were born later feeling the enormity of this event by looking at these photos, especially the ones of the view of Earth from spacecraft.

And yes, I wish to this day they had done a better job than "man" & "mankind." But I'm ok with it. As another poster commented, Let's do it again...shall we???

Posted by S. Bush July 16, 09 03:29 PM

¡BRAVO! ¡BRAVO! ¡BRAVO! ¡BRAVO! ¡BRAVO! ¡BRAVO! ¡BRAVO! ¡BRAVO! ¡BRAVO! ¡BRAVO!¡BRAVO! ¡BRAVO!¡BRAVO! ¡BRAVO!¡BRAVO!¡BRAVO!¡BRAVO!¡BRAVO!

Posted by manolo_elmas July 16, 09 03:41 PM

My favorite post yet! I wasn't born yet but I wish I could've witnessed this. I love what an earlier commenter wrote, "these were a differnt breed of man". So true. I too have tears in my eyes. Thank you so much for posting these beautiful pictures.

Posted by Carrie July 16, 09 03:47 PM

Could somone please explain to me how was the US falg set in a way which shows it as if a wind was blowing there...? (No conspiracies please )

Posted by Tom Bitris July 16, 09 03:54 PM

In Photo #5 Buzz Aldrin is wearing a red Boy Scout wool jacket which has a felt patch sewn to it in the shape of a bull indicating that he had been to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Just to be picky, the patch should have been sewn on higher so that the tail of the bull goes over the shoulder.

Posted by Scoutdude July 16, 09 04:27 PM

@Tom Bitris #164:
Three things: 1) The flags on each Apollo mission had a rigid horizontal rod along their top edge to make them stand out and look more photogenic. Without the rod, they'd hang perpetually limp. 2) The material the flags were made of was a bit "crumply," so after they were deployed they didn't always hang flat under their own (reduced, lunar) weight. 3) When the flags move in video, it's only because an astronaut is touching them, or they're being blown by the exhaust of the ascent stage as the astronauts left the Moon.

Posted by Chris Anderson July 16, 09 04:29 PM

I am so glad that this history is preserved. We are being indoctrinated that nothing good has been done, or can be done, by white men. These pictures don't lie. And a lot of them were smokers too!

Posted by M. Green July 16, 09 04:31 PM

Superb....thank you for a great selection......forwarded by my son Brendan
whose fascination has never waned, one day Bren...one day.

Posted by Susan Turner July 16, 09 04:38 PM

I remember the day as if it were today, I was on my first date, in my date's Mother's
Dodge Polara. We were going towatch the Blue Angels scream through the sky at the Hanscom Air Force Base. We heard the news on the AM radio... An American has walked on the Moon!

Last night I watched the shuttle leave it's earthly bounds. It is not for nothing we look up to the brave humans who risk all. These are the brightest , with the most faith in themselves, and their support group. God speed.

Posted by Bruce Willis July 16, 09 04:47 PM

Reference Blog # 143 - Do you have the heart of scientist and the eyes of a critic? - Good!

I smile at the lessons we can learn from prospective and correct analysis even after so many years - just doesn't seem so long ago... Look at Photo # 28. Classic photo - wonderful untouched high quality photo - Ready?

Please look at Neil standing beside the LEM. Now draw an imaginary line between the two men - note that Buzz's shadow is on the left of that line in both the reflection and the lunar dirt. Just as it should be. Next, if you see the reflection of the LEM on the right side of Buzz's visor it is also on your right. Neil's reflection is as if you were standing in front of your mirror. Try it. now wave your right hand and see what your reflection does... lol - Life is GOOD!

I am thankful for all of the pioneers throughout history - For the achievements of all mankind - of every nation - for the things we learn and share - these are the building blocks that help us to achieve the nobler things - Oh how can we do better?

Yes, by all means have breathtaking goals and put the selfishness behind - let us stir one another up to achieve things that we can celebrate. Yes, Mr President - whoever you are and wherever you are let us be challenged - Have a dream - Don't give us money - Give us a fantastic dream - a dream that we can work for , go to school for, bust our tails for, and unite in. Give us dreams - We will work as we have always done in the face of challenge - As God wills it.

Posted by Carl Angwin July 16, 09 05:00 PM

awesome. one thing that floors me is how "rudimentary" the space suits look compared to today. all those early guys have balls the size of cannonballs. gonna look for the recent video (2006 ?) of some guy harrassing Buzz that the mission was faked & he decks the guy. classic.

Posted by Geoff July 16, 09 05:10 PM

I lOVE aLL IT, Thanks for the Photossss :D:D:D:D:D:D

Posted by PaulO Henrique July 16, 09 06:10 PM

@109 -
Nasa of course knew that there would be no wind in a vacuum, so they added a support pole to the top of the flag pole. So that the Pole itself held the flag out. It'll still move slightly, but it wasn't strictly "flying"

Posted by AshJ July 16, 09 06:25 PM

I was wondering, where is the dust on the landing pads? Also, how was the lunar lander able to navigate with just a single rocket and assuming that it did, where is the blast crated underneath the lander that the rocket would have created? Why are there no pictures of stars? I am also wondering why Collins denied the visibility of the stars during the first press conference but then wrote about how spectacular the stars appeared from the lunar surface ten years later in his book?

Posted by Don Millan July 16, 09 06:36 PM

Growing up around the space business has truly been an awesome experience. My dad, Bruce H. Walton Sr. worked in mission control in Houston. He was part of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and several Satellite operations. I remember going to work with him on occasion. I not only thank my dad, I thank all the Astronauts and everybody involved in the Space Program. To think what has been achieved is simply awesome. America put a man on the moon. Mars is next.
Now look what’s happening in Washington D.C.

Posted by Bruce H Walton Jr July 16, 09 06:39 PM

#18 is unreal. Left me without words.

Posted by Rich July 16, 09 07:15 PM

These photos bring back memories of the many times I watched from my workplace on Redsone Arsenal to see the Saturn V being test fired. What a rumble and roar. I worked for the Army but NASA (Dr. Wernher von Braun) was headquarted in the same building with us. I was able to meet Astronauts Deke Slayton and Walter Schirra when they visited Dr. von Braun. I have their autographs from that visit in the early 1960s.
The moon landing a most exciting time.

Posted by Jean July 16, 09 07:22 PM

Great photos and I totally agree that it's time to hear more about Mars and sending a manned voyage there.

Posted by Roseann July 16, 09 08:20 PM

It was a year before I got married, and I was working as a telephone operator. I asked to be off work, went to my grandmother's to watch TV, and I dialed O on her phone and left the phone off the hook, so the other operators could tune into the sound from the TV. That night I looked at the moon, in awe that men had walked upon it. Today, I imagine what my grandmother, who was alive when man first flew a plane at Kitty Hawk, was thinking.

Posted by Connie July 16, 09 08:50 PM

Yes. Do it again guys, no one else can.

Posted by Leo Nev July 16, 09 09:05 PM

It brings back memories of my Italian Grandfather sitting in his rocker, watching CBS, Walter Cronkite, crying. Why are you crying Grandpa? I asked. His reply was "I courted your Grandmother sitting in a piazza outside of Roma, and we would look at the moon, now there are men on the moon. I come to America on a boat, now we have rockets to the moon." Helps you to understand the magnitude of this awesome event. One of many wonderful experiences growing up Italian and in the 60's.

Posted by Ed Cistolo July 16, 09 09:22 PM

One must wonder why thought was not devoted to capitalize on that trip; build a permanent station on the moon and save billions of dollars wasted on the present "space station" soon to be abandoned. Thoughts of another trip now and the pointless Mars excursion are evidence that NASA people are out of touch with the country and its' needs. It has become a group of navel--lookers with excess budgets playing lets study-for-fun games unrelated to any near time needs of the society. They have become an adjunct of the defense-military complex with many of the same cast members supported by ignorant Congressmen seeking self-survival by routing tax payers earnings to their aupporters.

Posted by Russell Cuthbert July 16, 09 09:30 PM

We were living in Alaska at the time. The Apollo 11 Mission is the only think I ever remember being aired *live via satellite* there. It was all black and white, but still very wonderful to my 6 (almost 7) year old self. These pictures are simply wonderful.

Posted by Christopher McNabb July 16, 09 10:37 PM

Magic. Pure magic. And I watched them pull the rabbit out of the hat.

Posted by B. Ays July 16, 09 10:39 PM

Awesome pictures.

My Dad was a lead designer of the IU that handled the Saturn V's staging.
We lived in Huntsville, and I remember well how the house would shake when they test fired the engines.

The computer that was the heart of the IU had much times capability than your cell phone. But they made it work, and the IU even corrected for an engine failure on Apollo XIII.

My Dad is an engineer, and not given to emotion, but I still remember him crying when we landed on the moon. He didn't know what he had been a part of until that moment.

He has always said that the Space Program was more about the poetry than the science.

Posted by Dan Bill July 16, 09 10:45 PM

Truly a scientific and engineering milestone.
I was 19 at the time. My mother and I watched the coverage of the landing. My father and younger brother went to the beach that day! We all gathered around the t.v. that night. There were no vcr's or dvd recorders in those days, however we took still pictures off the t.v. using 2 1/4 square Rolli. They turned out! I still can remember Walter Cronkite on thebroadcast.

Posted by Gerry July 16, 09 11:20 PM

Strange how people can't remember who took Armstrong's pictgure #21. There was a t.v.camera that was deployed from the Lunar Module.

Posted by Gerry July 16, 09 11:24 PM

These are glorious pictures - thanks
I remember watching Walter Cronkite suffer with the rest of us, waiting to hear those words form the Moon.
Why aren't there people on the Moon now, looking at this story thru their internet connection?
Good question

Posted by Jeff Straight July 16, 09 11:29 PM

This makes me really want to see man walk on Mars within my lifetime.

Posted by Kevin July 16, 09 11:39 PM

I remember well, I was 11 and living in Switzerland. My dad bought our first TV for this occasion, it looked like something out of the "Jetsons" , and I can still feel the excitement now that I felt then. Walter Cronkite talking in a strange language so far away in the US. We were able to stay up all night for this event, and even our small school got a TV so we would not miss a thing during the day....
After all these years ,it still amazes me and when I close my eyes ,I still see it all, including them floating back to earth and splashing into the ocean!!
,,,and since then our whole family has been interested in Astronomy.

Posted by Claude Gamma July 16, 09 11:44 PM

Such wonderful photos and what great memories they bring back. I was 20 years old and flying to Viet Nam while they were flying to the moon. I had watched the launch on TV before I shipped out and kept wishing I had been with them instead of where I was going. I was so disappointed when the Apollo program was canceled and I'm so happy that we plan to go back to the moon. I remember lying on my back watching Sputnik race across the sky and how that sent chills up my spine. What a great time to have lived and witnessed the space program from its beginnings. All I can say is Wow, Wow, Wow. And thanks to America for what we can do when we put our hearts and minds to the task.

Posted by Edward Henry July 17, 09 12:10 AM

Till now, It can't forget , Even I was not Born.....It is really Great ,,,,,!

Posted by Sathya July 17, 09 12:22 AM

These photos are wonderful. My father was an engineer at NASA during this time and we watched all the launches from our yard.

Posted by Julie Douglass July 17, 09 12:48 AM

#24 is just an incredibly beautiful picture. Just think of what he's feeling! It's amazing.

Posted by Michael July 17, 09 01:21 AM

Great photos, Thanks.. True, it was a giant leap for mankind.

From my visits to various science museums in the US, particularly the National air and space museum in DC, I got a feel that an entire generation of Americans were inspired by this mission. It was not just confined to science labs, schools and govt. But the entire society was electrified. Many diverse private industries participated in some way in the mission, giving a sense of stake and belonging in the entire nation.

Maybe there was the big element of cold war era passion at play, but still I am stuck by awe and admiration for the sheer energy that US could infuse among its public. .. the reader comments in the page also indicate this.

My country, India, has not done enough on this, in spite of Chandrayaan, the recent Indian moon mission being a laudable effort for a nation that got its independence from colonial power just 60 yrs back.

Posted by Jataayu, Bangalore July 17, 09 03:12 AM

@174 Don,
There is no dust on the pads because, in order for dust to be there, there would need to be lots of billowing dust. But billowing dust requires some sort of medium for it to be suspended in, something quite absent in a vacuum. There was a blast crater but it was not, again due to the vacuum, like one that would appear on Earth. The lack of stars is, of course, because any photograph of stars requires a long exposure which the cameras were not calibrated for. Collins would have indeed seen magnificent stars when he went around to the night side of the moon.

Posted by Travis D July 17, 09 03:16 AM

Aged 9 when it happened I felt close to every single human being, all wars around the globe appeared to have come to a cease-fire, and people all over the world had - for a few moments at least - the faint hope of something big to come or to happen in the way we lived with our neighbours. The hope of a big change in the way we treat our own human race, the planet and everything that lives and thrives on it. It remaind a hope, because people are not willing or able to see what a tiny little thing we are in terms of cosmic dimensions. We are not the best, greatest, smartest, biggest, yet, we still are. Be mindful, behave respectfully. DON GKW

Posted by G. Klein-Weiss July 17, 09 03:25 AM

Siento envidia de ser Norteamericano. Que Dios les bendiga. (I feel envy of being a Northamerican citizen. God bless them all). Greetings from Spain.

Posted by Luis Argüelles July 17, 09 03:54 AM

@ 174: I was wondering, where is the dust on the landing pads? Ans: Why would there be dust on the pads? Also, how was the lunar lander able to navigate with just a single rocket and assuming that it did, where is the blast crated underneath the lander that the rocket would have created? Ans: The LM had many rockets with which to "navigate' and why do you think there would there be a 'blast crater'? Why are there no pictures of stars? Ans: We can see stars from Earth, we don't need to go to the Moon to see them. Therefor pictures of stars were not on the itinerary. I am also wondering why Collins denied the visibility of the stars during the first press conference but then wrote about how spectacular the stars appeared from the lunar surface ten years later in his book? Ans: You'd have to ask him, but with lights on in the CM stars would not be visible.

Posted by pilotlars July 17, 09 04:24 AM

Don Millan @#174:

"I was wondering, where is the dust on the landing pads?"

The dust would have been blown away from the rocket nozzle in ballistic arcs, rather than billowing and swirling in the turbulence that would have been generated in an atmosphere, so it's not surprising there's very little dust on the pads.

"Also, how was the lunar lander able to navigate with just a single rocket"

It didn't. The main rocket held its weight, but it had numerous manoeuvering thrusters as well.

"where is the blast crated underneath the lander that the rocket would have created?"

It wouldn't. The rocket was at relatively low power at touchdown - about 3000 pounds of thrust. Given the nozzle had a diameter of 54 inches, that force was spread out over 2300 square inches, giving just 1.5 pounds per square inch - about the force exerted by the feet of an adult standing still! After the layer of loose dust was blown away, it's solid, hard-packed lunar regolith underneath, which isn't going to blasted apart by such a small force.

"Why are there no pictures of stars?"

Actually, if you look on some of the pictures there are a few of the brightest stars visible faintly. Most are not visible because the photographs were taken in lunar daytime, so the exposure times had to be short to avoid overexposing the lunar landscape, the astronauts and their equipment. The stars are just too faint to leave an image on film when exposed for less than 1/100th of a second. Try the same thing yourself with a camera on Earth on a clear night - set it to manual mode with an exposure of, say, 1/250th of a second and point it at the night sky. You won't see many stars on the picture.

"I am also wondering why Collins denied the visibility of the stars during the first press conference but then wrote about how spectacular the stars appeared from the lunar surface ten years later in his book?"

I think you must be mixed up somewhere. Collins never walked on the surface of the moon. He was the Command Module pilot of Apollo 11, staying in orbit around the moon while Aldrin and Armstrong went down to the surface. I do know he talked about how, when he was in the lunar shadow, he could see the stars far better than on Earth, but this is hardly surprising - obviously in the darkness of the lunar shadow, without an atmosphere or light pollution to obscure them, you're going to see more stars. I did read one of the other astronauts (which one I can't remember, and I don't have the book to hand to check) who said that, while on the lunar surface, you couldn't see the stars while the tinted outer visor on the spacesuit was down, but he did step into the shadow of the lander and lift the outer visor for a brief view of the stars.

Posted by MPG July 17, 09 04:42 AM

It is astonishing that there is not one mention of the fact that the Apollo 11 Moon Mission was an engineering achievement, as indeed are all Spacecraft Launches. How can we draw young talent into the engineering profession if Engineers do not get credit for their achievements? It should also be noted that Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and indeed all twelve Astronauts who landed on the Moon were Engineers.
Fintan Lynch.
http://www.engology.com/

Posted by Fintan Lynch July 17, 09 06:20 AM

Posted by Pipistrello July 17, 09 08:07 AM

Zoom in on the famous visor shot of Buzz,and you'll also see earth in the lunar sky! pity they don't include phot AS11-40-5886,which shows Neil during the EVA.And I heard from Neil himself-speaking in Dublin,Nov.2003,that ''2001'' to him was the only realistic space movie ..

Posted by Derek July 17, 09 08:48 AM

I had the pleasure today of quashing a few Apollo deniers reciting the tired old claim of it all being staged in a Hollywood studio for whatever bazaar reason they can come up with. Normally I don't give these dimwits the time of of day but I took special delight today.

Great photos and well done.

Posted by Bryan July 17, 09 09:26 AM

I was one of the 60+ programmers working at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, during the Apolla area.

Posted by Keith D. Laube July 17, 09 10:19 AM

My husband was new at NASA, and we lived just behind the Aldrin's home in Nassau Bay Texas. It was the most exciting time for everyone connected with NASA in any way. The astronauts were heroes and given lots of well-deserved publicity and reached celebrity status. The engineering behind the mission was unbelievable.
A Mars mission seems almost impossible; but then, so did going to the moon!
Let's support them. We need to get that old enthusiasm back! We also need for people to learn more about the unmanned robotic action taking place on Mars and the wonderful photography they are doing in Space! It is truly exciting when you learn what fantastic things they are accomplishing right now.
Lil

Posted by Lil July 17, 09 10:28 AM

These heroes gaved us a fantastic gift, but we did not know what to do with it.
Ces héros nous ont donnés un cadeau merveilleux, mais nous ne savions pas quoi en faire...
Boston.com and "The big picture" represent for me the future in newspapers. Thank you!

Posted by François Kirouac July 17, 09 10:51 AM

This is where Michael Jackson's ashes should be sent to...

Posted by Ariane July 17, 09 10:57 AM

Cool red Philmont jacket on Buzz in photo # 5. And what about the 1956 Presidential Chrysler Imperial Convertible in the final parade photo? Wow!!

These photos are great! I remember sitting up all night (as a 9 year old) watching Armstrong and Aldrin make hisotry on July 20, 1969.

Posted by Mark July 17, 09 11:41 AM

Great pictures. To me a Saturn V at work(photo 13) is the greatest sight in human history. I recommend surfing on YouTube to see close-up, high-speed films of the Apollo launches.

Posted by Chris July 17, 09 12:34 PM

I was way up in the woods at summer camp; 8 years old. We had a small radio in the mess hall, and that 10 minutes was the only time you could ever hear yourself think in that hall.
Needle-dropping silence until "the eagle has landed" and then we yelled so loud, that the astronauts could hear us. I remember it very well. We can do amazing things once and a while.

Posted by Todd July 17, 09 12:50 PM

That was such a time of hope! I remember watching the moonwalk on our Black and White TV. It was amazing!

Posted by Nancy July 17, 09 01:15 PM

I was so breathless when I saw these pictures again..I remember the day as if it were yesterday and not some 40 years ago..I am so so happy I got to see these pictures when I came on here tonite...What a wonderful Achievement to have left for all of us to see and remember for our life time..God Bless America ...and all these brave men..Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin jr, & Michael Collins and all the Engineers behind this Mission to the Moon ..a lifetime of memories they have given us for today and always..
Posted by Philomena Wilkinson Perth W estern Australia18th july 2009

Posted by Philomena Wilkinson July 17, 09 01:17 PM

I remember watching the walk on a portable TV on our backyard patio with my Dad and best friend Skip. Lotta stuff for my eight-year-old mind to take in at the time ... but I did ask for a Mattel Major Matt Mason set for Christmas that year and got it!

Posted by Drew July 17, 09 01:42 PM

I remember that most exciting moment when the LEM set down on the lunar surface and immediately hearing the words "Cycle the Parker Valve" referring to a product designed, manufactured and supplied by the company I worked for. This along with some twelve other control products made each Apollo mission exhilarating times for all of us at the Aerospace Group of Parker Hannifin Corporation.
These pictures are an incredible keepsake...

Posted by Chuck Chisholm July 17, 09 02:28 PM

Heroic times. When men were men.

Posted by Marcos July 17, 09 02:51 PM

I was 12. It was a hot evening in New England and we watched it on a color tv given to us inoperable, repaired by my brother. I remember sitting on the floor, never taking my eyes off the screen. That was some evening. This event drastically influenced my decision to become an astronautical engineer, and I now do various orbit analyses for work, hoping some day we do return to the moon. Mars or bust!

Posted by Denis Durand July 17, 09 03:20 PM

I look at the picture of the lander's pad, and I see a blast crater. One can see that the dust that had not already been blasted away prior to touchdown is still collected under the pad due to the weight of the LM, and it looks to be more than an inch thick. The area around it has been scoured nearly clean with small dust dunes near the pad, showing the flow lines from the descent engine blast.
At touchdown, the descent tanks were nearly dry and the LM was very light and in 1/6 G it doesn't take much thrust to hover or descend slowly. So the crater was only a few inches thick, down to bedrock.

Posted by giant240 July 17, 09 04:16 PM

I did shcool and had to a report on neil armstrong I had so much fun

Posted by carley July 17, 09 04:45 PM

Love the pics, love the era, but it's all in the past.
There's no bigger fan of the space program than I, but sending man to Mars or even back to the moon makes no sense at all, except to give those that need it a good huggy feeling. Even the space station is a stretch. The cost of including a human on our orbital and beyond missions is too much and not needed.
I hate to finally admit this.

Posted by FL420 July 17, 09 04:54 PM

Above-board!
Honourable for you honey!

Posted by Notopemiprate July 17, 09 05:47 PM

This is the reason why I love America and it's people (i'm Dutch)

Posted by Jip July 17, 09 06:47 PM

These photos are beautiful. I had taken LSD and was riding in a TR3 top down on a winding Texas Hill Country road. We were listening to radio coverage and everything was A-OK. I recall laughing when Neil Armstrong stumbled verbally delivering his well-rehearsed once in a lifetime comment. He knew there was no second chance. It was later edited out for the many replays.

This space flight was a childhood dream come true for me, and to be hearing men talking in real time on the moon while riding in a automobile was something even beyond the imaginings of Jules Verne.

Posted by Oris July 17, 09 07:01 PM

I remember the dramatic lift-off and the landing of Appolo 11. My hometown of Jackson, Tennessee celebrated - as did the entire country - this breathtakingly successful mission.....one that will live in the memory of humankind as long as planet earth exists..
My humble thanks to all who are part of the Space Program. With each successful launch - followed by the successfully completed space mission, I get goosebumps from the thrill of such extraordinary work by the many involved.
Today, July 17, 2009, was no different as I watched the latest space ship dock with the Internationa Space Station ~ increasing the number of people on board to 13 - the most ever at one time to inhabit the ISS. Thank you - every one who has a part in such a successful program.....and may God bless you, your work and your families.

Posted by S. Hillhouse July 17, 09 07:37 PM

It's so good to see all the landing-deniers getting shot down in flames here by truly knowledgeable people. What is it in people that they seek to denigrate or destroy the good work done by others?

I was a ten-year-old paperboy who had followed the space program since I was FOUR. I recorded hours of CBS TV coverage on my Sony Compact Cassette tape recorder with alligator clips hooked to the speaker wires of our old black and white console TV. (I didn't feel so jealous when Armstrong came down the ladder -- at that point EVERYONE had black and white TV!)

Posted by bimplebean July 17, 09 07:48 PM

My mother added her comment (#214) from Perth, Australia yesterday. I was her 12 year old son at the time taking a self-declared holiday off from school so I could be home glued to the television all day uninterrupted. (We were 1/2 day or so ahead in Perth watching the giant leap near high noon.) It was the high point of scientific and technological achievement . Let's hope we can see a rebirth of that can-do spirit to conquer the great challenges that face our planet today!

Posted by Mark Arratoon July 17, 09 09:03 PM

Great pictures from the time that America was still a great and thrving nation.

Posted by king July 17, 09 09:07 PM

Such amazing and dramatic photos, so much better than I watched on tv that night. The first moon landing always makes me think of the best episode of The Wonder Years, when Kevin went into the kitchen to call a girl in his 7th grade class while his family sat watching the great step for mankind. His brother teased him about it. I also loved visiting the Armstong museum in Wapakoneta, OH, where they used to display the most fantastic group of keys to cities that were given to Neil Armstong.

Posted by Dick Pasky July 17, 09 10:01 PM

I was 16 years old and my family was camping. In the campground there was a family with a camper and a small TV. They put it outside and just about the whole campground was gathered around the camper. It was so cool to look up at the moon and think that a man was actually on the surface. It seems like yesterday. What a wonderful accomplishment.

Posted by Chris July 17, 09 10:09 PM

#49: Since the sun angle relative to the surface, the reflectivity (albedo) of lunar soil, and the properties of the camera, lens, and filter were all known, the experts were able to calculate (and, indeed, test!) aperture and shutter settings on Earth (the lens was chosen so they could just set it at infinity and have everything more than a foot or two from the lens stay in focus--considering the camera was on a chest pack, that wasn't an issue!). Basically, the crew were given their shutter and aperture settings before the start of the EVA, checked them after they were outside, and left them alone for the full EVA.

Yes, there were a lot of terrible (over/underexposed) photos as a result. It's just that they generally only reproduce the good shots instead of the flubbed ones.

Posted by Richard D. Fox July 17, 09 10:21 PM

Bimplebean the compact cassettte hadent even been invented in 1969

Posted by ibpilot July 18, 09 12:09 AM

I am too young to experience the true emotions. But I want to give a contibution to the respect for the courage of Michael, Buzz, and Neil, and how persevere they had to be, to accomplish this high goal and mission for all mankind.
In memorian, I also give my respect to Wernher Von Braun. He should be listened to for his philosophy about what a rocket missile is for the future. The Saturn 5 Rocket was the best controlled rocket, ever built, since then! Solid Rocket Boosters, as used at the Space Shuttle, are, IMHO, not appropriate for future space missions whatsoever!

Posted by Erwin van Grimbergen July 18, 09 12:46 AM

Easwara sarvabhoothaanaam...
Lord in all living beings
As such human can do anything with his hard efforts.
very good efforts from USA
thanks
Narasimha rao from india

Posted by narasimharao July 18, 09 01:06 AM