Besides loving cars, trains, and planes, I’m also a big space nerd. So, today, I’m celebrating a milestone anniversary of one of the most significant achievements in human space flight; the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11.
Apollo 11
If you didn’t know, Apollo 11 was the culmination of America’s effort to send astronauts on the moon. The mission launched on July 16, 1969, with Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. Then, on July 19, the crew of Apollo 11 entered lunar orbit.
Of course, as we all know, on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11’s lunar module, Eagle, touchdown at the Sea of Tranquility. Then, the most remarkable extravehicular activity (EVA) of all time began as Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon, reciting that now-famous line, “that’s one small step for [a] man, and one giant leap for mankind.”
Neil and Buzz’s EVA had the shortest EVA of all the Apollo missions, lasting only two hours and 31 minutes. After their EVA, the duo spent the night on the moon and lifted off to rendezvous with Mike Collins in Columbia the next day. Then, the trio began their journey home, splashing down near Hawaii on July 24, 1969.
Legacy
Three years after Apollo 11 landed on the moon, we left the moon for the last time with the departure of Apollo 17 on December 14, 1972. Only 12 men have ever walked on the moon. And, of course, we have never been back, nor have traveled farther since.
Fortunately, artifacts from our time on the moon are available for viewing. Personally, my first encounter with Apollo artifacts was a moon rock at the now-defunct Elison Onizuka Space Center in Kona. But in 2016, Mrs. Island Miler and I got to visit the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C. There, we got to see Apollo 11’s command module, Columbia.
At the moment, Columbia is not at the Smithsonian. Rather, it’s on temporary display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. The museum is also home to pieces of the massive F-1 engines that powered the first stages of Apollo 12 and 16.
The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11, Final Thoughts
The landing of Apollo 11 on the moon 50 years ago today is a remarkable achievement. And while we often celebrate the achievements of the astronauts that a flew the mission, it’s worth remembering the contributions of the others involved too. As astronaut Charlie Duke put it, “the crew is the tip of the iceberg.” In reality, it took hundreds of thousands of people across the country to get us to the moon.
In my opinion, the landing of Eagle was remarkable, not only for the landing itself but also for how it rallied our nation together. But, as President Nixon said during the landing, the landing achieved something else too. Per Nixon’s call to Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon, “[f]or one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this Earth are truly one.”