July 16, 1969 – “We Choose to go to the Moon” / Launch of Apollo 11

For you space enthusiasts out there, July 16 marks the 50^th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11, the mission to send the first humans to another world.

With the following words, President Kennedy gave NASA its charge,

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important in the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”

At 13:32:00 UTC on July 16, 1969, the magnificent and powerful three-stage Saturn V rocket roared to life and hurled three men toward the heavens, beginning what is arguably the most epic journey ever undertaken.

There are many, many pictures out there of course, but these are a couple of my favorites…

The Apollo 11 primary crew consisted of (L to R in the photo) Commander (and first man to walk on the Moon), Neil Armstrong; Command Module Pilot, Michael Collins; and Lunar Module Pilot, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (who later legally changed his name to “Buzz Aldrin”)…

We all know the names like Wernher von Braun, Neil Armstrong, etc. but I think a shout out to a lesser-known name, former NASA Langley engineer John Houbolt, is in order.  Without Dr. Houbolt’s tireless advocacy for the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous (LOR) strategy (i.e., using a separate Lunar Module, and a separate Command/Service Module that orbits the Moon and undocks/docks with the Lunar Module in lunar orbit) vs. a Direct Ascent approach (sending a large rocket, with lander, to the moon, land tail down, then take off again), it would have been impossible to achieve President Kennedy’s timeline for the Apollo 11 mission.

I’ve rambled on, and sorry for the long post, but one last fun fact about the Apollo 11 insignia (highlighted in my avatar pic)”

“The American eagle, symbolic of the United States, was about to land on the moon. In its talons, an olive branch indicated that the crew “came in peace for all mankind.”  The Earth, the place from which the crew came and would return safely in order to fulfill President John F. Kennedy’s challenge to the nation, rested on a field of black, representing the vast unknown of space.” (ref., Apollo by the Numbers, by Richard W. Orloff)

To be continued, as we journey toward lunar contact…

5 members liked this post.

The_Guru, carolsurrey, steve31 fridgeraider, mooosey88, lindaclemenza7