Following the traces on the moon
Whenever I think of the Moon, I always recall the Apollo-11 mission, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the Moon, and Michael Collins waiting for them alone in lunar orbit. I imagine they are there right now, and there are others up there – on the Moon, and I can observe them. How marvelous it would be. I suppose if I lived 53 years ago and was a witness to what I am saying, I might feel luckier just for that. Perhaps if I tell you the story of the adventure of the 3 Moon travelers, you too will share the same feelings with me?
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THE APOLLO PROGRAM. Since the 1950s, the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) maintained its superiority in the Space Race that began between it and the USA (United States of America). They were achieving firsts one after another. The first satellite, the first cosmonaut, the first person to go into outer space. The USA was lagging behind. Until they aimed for the Moon.
The emblem of the Apollo Program
Apollo was a space program developed by the USA and executed by NASA. The goal was to land humans on the Moon. They managed to achieve this goal, which had begun preparations in 1961, in 1969. However, success did not come without loss. The first mission of the project, known as Apollo-1, caught fire on the launch pad on January 27, 1967, due to a technical malfunction while preparing for a manned test flight. The astronauts of the mission, Virgil Grissom, Edward White, Roger Chaffee, perished in the accident. After the accident, which resulted in the deaths of 3 astronauts, NASA decided to conduct all tests up to the Apollo-7 mission without crew.
The Apollo-1 mission crew during testing
The first manned and successful test flight took place on October 11, 1968. The mission, named Apollo-7, aimed to test the rocket that would take the astronauts to the Moon in Earth's orbit. Two months later, on December 21, with the Apollo-8 mission, the same rocket had to prove itself by sending a payload into lunar orbit.
THE MIGHTY AND POWERFUL SATURN-V ROCKET. The rocket discussed that was used in the Apollo program to carry humans to the Moon was called Saturn-V (or Saturn-5). It was the most powerful and largest rocket ever built until now. Its height reached 111 meters. To imagine its size, you might picture stacking 4 Girl Towers (28 meters) on top of each other.
The rocket used to carry humans to the Moon in the Apollo program - Saturn-V (or Saturn-5)
The Saturn-V rocket consisted of 3 stages:
The first stage – the part that had to overcome Earth's gravity to lift the rocket to a certain height – was equipped with 5 F-1 engines. The engines performed their mission just 2 minutes and 41 seconds after the launch, separating from the other stages. During this time, the 5 F-1 engines consumed over 2000 tons of fuel (rocket fuel RP-1, a type of kerosene, and liquid oxygen) to lift the rocket to an altitude of 68 km.
The mission of the second stage was to take the next stage into space. It was equipped with the same number of engines as the first stage, but different engines. After performing its mission with 5 J-2 engines, the second stage separated from the rocket's third – final stage. This separation occurred in the 9th minute of the mission. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen were used as fuel for the J-2 engine.
The third stage had to carry the modules, located on its upper section, to the Low Earth orbit first, and then to a trajectory heading towards the Moon, with the help of a single J-2 engine in approximately 4 and a half hours, and separate from the portion where the modules were located.
The modules located on the upper part of the Saturn-V rocket were as follows: the Eagle Lunar Module which would land the astronauts on the Moon’s surface, the Service Module equipped with a life support system along with fuel and an engine, and the Command Module named Columbia, where the crew stayed during the flight. On top of these modules, there was also a Launch Escape System which acted as a catapult so the crew could immediately leave the rocket in case of an explosion at the moment of launch. The module that would return to Earth and bring the crew back with it was the Command Module named Columbia.
Placement of the modules on the upper part of the rocket
On March 3, 1969, the Apollo-9 mission conducted a test of the Lunar Module in Earth orbit, which would be the last stage before the landing. Then, on May 18, a test was performed for all phases of the journey to the Moon (except for landing on the lunar surface) during the Apollo-10 mission. This was the last test before the historic Apollo-11 mission.
THE APOLLO-11 MISSION. LAUNCH FROM EARTH. The calendar showed July 16, 1969. At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Saturn-V rocket was ready for its Moon trip at launch pad 39-B. The commander of the flight Neil Armstrong, the pilot of the Lunar Module Buzz Aldrin, and the pilot of the Command Module Michael Collins anxiously awaited the liftoff.
At 13:32 UTC, the engines of the Saturn-V rocket ignite. The mission is launched. The historic Moon journey begins.
The launch of the Apollo-11 mission, the moment Saturn-V rocket leaves Earth
IN MOON ORBIT. After 76 hours of travel, the crew reaches lunar orbit. After 100 hours Neil and Buzz transfer to the Lunar Module for landing. A few hours later, an unfamiliar part of the mission begins. The descent towards the Moon. Although they were aware of how the descent should go, based on the module's operational principles, no one was sure how things would happen in reality. The Lunar Module had not been tested on the surface of the Moon. There was no opportunity for that. Nonetheless, the tests conducted on Earth and in lunar orbit, and the calculations would make them the first humans to walk on the Moon.
As Neil and Buzz began their descent with the Lunar Module named Eagle, they had to leave Michael behind in the Command Module. According to the design of the mission, one person had to remain in lunar orbit to oversee the module that would return the crew to Earth, while the astronauts would have to "catch" the Lunar Module when they returned from the Moon and dock with the Command Module. This task was assigned to Michael. Thus, during his time alone in the module, he recorded his name in history as the most alone person in the history of the world, or even space.
Michael Collins during training in the simulator of the Command Module he piloted
Michael, the secret hero of the Apollo-11 mission, lost contact with both Earth and the astronauts on the Moon when he crossed to the far side of the Moon.
Friends, keep talking to me...
Before contact was lost, he had managed to convey these last words to his friends. When he returned to Earth, he noted that those moments of silence were more exhilarating and inspiring than frightening.
MOON LANDING. Meanwhile, Neil and Buzz landed on the Moon. They named the place they landed in the southwestern part of the Moon Tranquility, or Sea of Tranquility. A peaceful land, where no person from Earth had ever set foot before.
The first photograph taken on the Moon with a Hasselblad camera. The white bag seen near the Lunar Module's foot is the garbage package that the crew members used inside the module and threw outside the module as they began their descent to the Moon.
109 hours 24 minutes and 15 seconds after leaving Earth (July 20, 1969), Neil took that historic step. The first human to step on the surface of another celestial body. As Neil himself said, it was a small step for him, but a giant leap for mankind. On Earth, billions of people were witnessing the moment. Televisions broadcasted it live. The joy of this step, which was inspirational and filled with hope, would bring forth other significant steps for the future, and all of humanity celebrated.
Twenty minutes after Neil took his first step, Buzz joined him. Together they walked on the surface of the Moon, collecting samples of lunar soil for research, setting up scientific-experimental equipment they had brought from Earth, and capturing numerous photographs to record the moments.
Buzz Aldrin, with Neil Armstrong's reflection in the glass of his spacesuit
Perhaps because of his confidence in his photographic skills, Neil is the author of nearly all the pictures taken on the Moon. The camera that assisted him was specially designed for shooting on the Moon by Hasselblad.
Among the scientific-experimental equipment set up by the astronauts on the Moon were a passive seismograph to measure lunar quakes, a laser reflector to determine the distance between Earth and the Moon, and tools necessary to measure solar winds.
Also, erecting the American flag on the Moon was another task that Neil and Buzz had to complete. However, in addition to that, a plaque must have been installed to signify that the Apollo project was for humanity and that they came to the Moon for peace. Although it had not been thought out beforehand, the erection of the flag caused another country’s peoples to be left with the impression that the USA owned the Moon, leading to controversies, so such a solution was proposed. The flag was planted simply as a symbolic gesture of national pride. During this period, US President Richard Nixon established radio communication and had a phone call with Armstrong and Aldrin, which was recorded as the "most historical phone call from the White House" at that time.
The moment of the American flag being planted on the Moon by Neil and Buzz, captured by a TV camera mounted on the Lunar Module
After spending 21 hours and 36 minutes on the lunar surface, both astronauts were ready to return to Earth. During this time, they had only spent 2 hours and 14 minutes outside the Lunar Module, walking on the Moon. Now it was time to go home.
RETURN TO EARTH. The Lunar Module would accompany Neil and Buzz to the Moon's orbit. Then they would have to return to the Command Module, where Michael was waiting for them in lunar orbit. This part of the flight had also not been tested on the Moon beforehand, as in the descent phase. The ascent from the Moon. For this, the Lunar Module ignited its engines. Michael, waiting in lunar orbit to bring his friends home, expressed his feelings at that moment:
I have been afraid since the first days of the mission that I would leave them on the Moon and return alone to Earth. Just minutes are left for that fear to pass.
The long-awaited ascent was successful. After a 4-hour flight, Neil and Buzz reunited with Michael.
The Lunar Module had completed its mission. The crew had to continue home without it. After Neil, Buzz, and Michael took their places in the Command Module, the Lunar Module separated from the Command Module. The Service Module engines, which had been attached to the Command Module since the beginning of the mission, were ignited. They exited lunar orbit. The crew was returning to Earth.
After 2 and a half days of travel, they reached Earth orbit. Here, the Service Module, which had provided energy and power to the Command Module during the mission, also separated from it. The only remaining module, which housed the crew and would bring them back to Earth, was the Command Module. Fifteen minutes after entering the Earth’s atmosphere, the module landed in the Pacific Ocean. The date was July 24.
The astronauts waiting for a helicopter to come and take them after the Command Module landed in the Pacific Ocean
After landing, the astronauts were placed in quarantine for 2 weeks. No one had previously landed on Earth after being on the Moon. This journey was to monitor how the human body would react, any viruses that might have been acquired on the Moon, but are unknown to us, could potentially infect the astronauts and the people on Earth, and control any possible abnormalities until August 10.
US President Richard Nixon's meeting with the quarantined astronauts
After observing no abnormalities in their condition, the astronauts participated in a parade after the quarantine ended. People flooded the streets to see the Moon travelers, welcoming them with special pomp and celebration. This was a success for all humanity.
People flooding the streets to see the Moon travelers, welcoming them with special pomp and celebration. This was a success for all humanity.
THE CONTINUATION OF THE APOLLO-11 MISSION: APOLLO 12-17 MISSIONS. Following humanity's landing on the Moon, the Apollo Project continued with 6 more missions. Only one of these missions did not land on the Moon. After the second successful landing on the Moon with the Apollo-12 mission, the Apollo-13 mission had to return to Earth without reaching the Moon due to an explosion that occurred. This event, termed a "successful failure" in history, was considered a failure for the Moon landing mission, but the astronauts managed to return to Earth safely. Following this mission, another 4 missions - Apollo-14, Apollo-15, Apollo-16, Apollo-17 successfully landed on the Moon and completed their missions. Due to budget issues, previously planned Apollo-18 and subsequent missions were canceled, marking Apollo-17 as the final mission of the Apollo Project.
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Lastly, you can use the following links to look for more information and further visuals regarding the missions:
To view all audio and video recordings from start to finish of the Apollo-11 which achieved the first Moon landing, the Apollo-13 which returned to Earth without landing on the Moon, and the final mission of the project titled Apollo-17 in real-time, click here;
For an animated video of the moment of the Moon landing with the Apollo-11 mission, click here;
To access the archive of photographs taken during the Apollo missions, you can click here or here.
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It has been 50 years since humanity last went to the Moon. Half a century. Since those years, no one has had the chance to witness another trip to the Moon live. But we do. With the Artemis Project, humanity is returning to the Moon. We are going back to those lands to set foot on the Moon again. This time, permanently. For a longer period. Following in the traces left on the Moon. Who knows, maybe one day we will also look up and observe the Earth just like we are now looking up at the Moon?
The Earth captured during the Apollo-11 mission
