Part 3 (E)
Man Circles the Moon, the Eagle Lands, and Manned Lunar Exploration
July through September 1969
1969
July
1969
August
1969
September
July 1
Preparations continued on schedule for a July 16 launch of Apollo 11. Edwin
Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins were in good physical condition and
on schedule for their training and mission preparations. Descent and landing
simulations were successfully completed. The recovery ship U.S.S.
Hornet was prepared for the recovery operation. The Goldstone
64-meter dish antenna was ready to support both the Apollo 11 and the Mariner
requirements. [Mariner VI and VII, launched February
24 and March 27, were on their way to July 31 and August 4 flybys of the planet
Mars]. Mission control and the worldwide network stations were completing final
simulation and tracking preparations, and the flight plan was ready for
distribution.
NASA OMSF, "Manned Space Flight Weekly Report - July 1, 1969."
July 2
The Interagency Committee on Back Contamination agreed to the
designation of the MSC Director of Medical Research and Operations as the agent
to impose a quarantine applicable to the crew, the spacecraft, and the returned
lunar materials during any phase of the Apollo 11 mission. He was authorized to
appoint persons at each location and phase of the mission who would have the
responsibility of exercising the quarantine authority if necessary.
Ltr., Apollo Mission Director George H. Hage to NASA General Counsel, "Back
Contamination and Quarantine - Apollo 11," July 2, 1969.
July 8
In an effort to stem the increasing number of human errors found
in flight hardware, the ASPO Manager appointed a spacecraft walk-down team to
take a first-hand look at spacecraft as late as possible before delivery to KSC.
Team members selected were highly experienced in their respective fields and
thoroughly familiar with the spacecraft. While ASPO recognized that the team
could not possibly discover all the possible discrepancies, it hoped that the
inspections might help avoid some of the problems experienced in the past.
Ltr., G. M. Low, MSC, to R. A. Petrone, KSC, July 8, 1969.
July 9
The ASPO Manager for the command and service modules expressed
belief that costs could be reduced and others avoided by the effective use of
agency resources in many areas. However, he pointed out that the very nature of
the program - that is, one operating in a research and development atmosphere -
would result in higher costs than would a mass-production program.
Memo, Kenneth S. Kleinknecht to Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program, "Cost of
manned flight programs," July 9, 1969.
July 9
Microscopic examination of dust particles collected from the
spacecraft after the Apollo 10 mission and of samples collected from the inside
of nine garments worn by the Apollo 10 astronauts confirmed preliminary findings
that the itching experienced by the astronauts was due to the insulation in the
tunnel hatch of the command module. Investigation showed the fiberglass
insulation had flaked off during LM pressurization. Review of thermal conditions
indicated the insulation was not essential and it was eliminated from future
vehicles.
Ltr., Kenneth S. Kleinknecht, MSC, to George W. Jeffs, North American
Rockwell Corp., July 9, 1969.
July 16-24
Apollo 11 (AS-506) - with astronauts Neil A.
Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., aboard - was launched from
Pad A, Launch Complex 39, KSC, at 9:32 a.m. EDT July 16. The activities during
earth-orbit checkout, translunar injection, CSM transposition and docking,
spacecraft ejection, and translunar coast were similar to those of Apollo
10. (See entry for May 18-26, 1969.)
The Apollo 11 space vehicle thrusts upward from Kennedy
Space Center July 16, 1969, on the flight that fulfilled President Kennedy's May
26, 1961, challenge to land man on the moon and return him safely to the earth
by the end of the decade.
At 4:40 p.m. EDT July 18, the crew began a 96-minute color television
transmission of the CSM and LM interiors, CSM exterior, the earth, probe and
drogue removal, spacecraft tunnel hatch opening, food preparation, and LM
housekeeping. One scheduled and two unscheduled television broadcasts had been
made previously by the Apollo 11 crew.
The spacecraft entered lunar orbit at 1:28 p.m. EDT on July 19. During the
second lunar orbit a live color telecast of the lunar surface was made. A second
service-propulsion-system burn placed the spacecraft in a circularized orbit,
after which astronaut Aldrin entered the LM for two hours of housekeeping
including a voice and telemetry test and an oxygen-purge-system check.
At 8:50 a.m. July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin reentered the LM and checked out
all systems. They performed a maneuver at 1:11 p.m. to separate the LM from the
CSM and began the descent to the moon. The LM touched down on the moon at 4:18
p.m. EDT July 20. Armstrong reported to mission control at MSC, "Houston,
Tranquillity Base here - the Eagle has landed." (Eagle
was the name given to the Apollo 11 LM; the CSM was named
Columbia.) Man's first step on the moon was taken by Armstrong at
10:56 p.m. EDT. As he stepped onto the surface of the moon, Armstrong described
the feat as "one small step for a man - one giant leap for mankind."
Aldrin joined Armstrong on the surface of the moon at 11:15 p.m. July 20. The
astronauts unveiled a plaque mounted on a strut of the LM and read to a
worldwide TV audience, "Here men from the planet earth first set foot on the
moon July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind." After raising the
American flag and talking to President Nixon by radiotelephone, the two
astronauts deployed the lunar surface experiments assigned to the mission and
gathered 22 kilograms of samples of lunar soil and rocks. They then reentered
the LM and closed the hatch at 1:11 a.m. July 21. All lunar extravehicular
activities were televised in black-and-white. Meanwhile, Collins continued
orbiting moon alone in CSM Columbia.
The Eagle lifted off from the moon at 1:54 p.m. EDT July 21,
having spent 21 hours 36 minutes on the lunar surface. It docked with the CSM at
5:35 p.m. and the crew, with the lunar samples and film, transferred to the CSM.
The LM ascent stage was jettisoned into lunar orbit. The crew then rested and
prepared for the return trip to the earth.
The CSM was injected into a trajectory toward the earth at 12:55 a.m. EDT
July 22. Following a midcourse correction at 4:01 p.m., an 18-minute color
television transmission was made, in which the astronauts demonstrated the
weightlessness of food and water and showed shots of the earth and the moon.
At 12:15 p.m. EDT July 24 the Apollo 11's command module
Columbia splashed down in the mid-Pacific, about 24 kilometers from
the recovery ship U.S.S. Hornet. Following decontamination
procedures at the point of splashdown, the astronauts were carried by helicopter
to the Hornet where they entered a mobile quarantine facility to
begin a period of observation under strict quarantine conditions. The CM was
recovered and removed to the quarantine facility. Sample containers and film
were flown to Houston.
All primary mission objectives and all detailed test objectives of
Apollo 11 were met, and all crew members remained in good health.
(Objectives of all the Apollo flights are shown in Appendix 5.)
MSC, "Apollo 11 (AS-506) Flight Summary," undated; MSC, "Apollo 11 Mission
Report" (MSC-00171),November 1969; "Apollo 11 Sequence of Events," July 30,
1969; KSC, "Apollo 11 (AS-506) Quick Look Assessment Report," July 23, 1969;
NASA Hq., "Mission Director's Summary Report, Apollo 11," July 24, 1969;
Apollo 11 Mission Report (NASA SP-238, 1971).
July 19
During the Apollo 11 mission, members of the Lunar International
Observer Network (LION) made continuous observations of a lunar area where
illuminations had been noted. At 18:45 GMT (2:45 p.m. EDT), the astronauts
sighted an illumination in the Aristarchus region, the first time that a lunar
transient event was sighted by an observer in space. The sighting was confirmed
by a LION observer in West Germany.
NASA OMSF, "Manned Space Flight Weekly Report - August 11, 1969."
July 27-August 1
The scientific experiments planned for the Apollo 11
mission were reported successfully accomplished. The passive seismometry had
recorded a series of minor events and withstood temperatures of up to 364
kelvins (195 degrees F). The average temperature in the central station reached
361 K (190 degrees F) at solar noon on July 27 and dropped to 243 K (157 degrees
F) on July 31. MSC appointed a study group to investigate the causes of the
higher than predicted temperature levels. Lick Observatory in California
successfully acquired beams from the laser retroflector on August 1 and was
continuing ranging activities.
NASA OMSF, "Manned Space Flight Weekly Report - August 11, 1969."
July 28
To guard against cannibalization, misuse, or destruction of any
part of the lunar mission support equipment, spacecraft, and recovered equipment
(however insignificant it might seem) from the Apollo 11 mission,
NASA Hq. specified the following steps: All recovered items would be identified,
recorded, and inventoried as soon as quarantine, decontamination, and
deactivation activities permitted. All items would be placed in secure storage,
under guard if necessary. No removal would be permitted that would deface
exterior portions of the spacecraft or portions of the cabin visible through the
hatch or windows. No destructive testing would be permitted. Items returned to
contractors for testing would be under bond. Preparation for public display
would be expedited.
Ltr., Samuel C. Phillips, NASA Hq., to George M. Low, MSC, "Control and
Disposition of Apollo 11 Hardware," July 28, 1969.
July 29
NASA issued a tentative planning schedule for the Apollo
program:
| Flight |
Launch Plans |
Tentative Landing Area |
| Apollo 12 |
November 1969 |
Oceanus Procellarum lunar lowlands |
| Apollo 13 |
March 1970 |
Fra Mauro highlands |
| Apollo 14 |
July 1970 |
Crater Censorinus highlands |
| Apollo 15 |
November 1970 |
Littrow volcanic area |
| Apollo 16 |
April 1971 |
Crater Tycho (Surveyor VII impact area) |
| Apollo 17 |
September 1971 |
Marius Hills volcanic domes |
| Apollo 18 |
February 1972 |
Schroter's Valley, riverlike channel-ways |
| Apollo 19 |
July 1972 |
Hyginus Rille region-Linear Rille, crater area |
| Apollo 20 |
December 1972 |
Crater Copernicus, large crater impact area |
NASA
OMSF, "Manned Space Flight Weekly Report - July 28, 1969."
July 31
The Secretary of Defense announced the assignment of Lt. Gen.
Samuel C. Phillips (USAF), who had been serving as Apollo Program Director in
the NASA Office of Manned Space Flight, to be Commander of the Air Force Space
and Missile Systems Organization (SAMSO) in Los Angeles. He would assume his new
responsibilities in the Air Force effective September 1.
NASA Announcement of Key Personnel Change, "DOD Announcement of General
Phillips' Air Force Assignment," July 31, 1969.
During the Apollo 11 management
debriefing, the ASPO Manager noted a number of items requiring investigation.
During separation from the S-IVB stage, the CSM autopilot apparently had
difficulty determining direction of rotation. After the CSM hatch removal, there
was a strong odor of burnt material in the tunnel. The leveling device on one of
the experiment packages did not work. The closeup stereo camera was hard to
operate and tended to fall over. The temperature in the lunar module was too
cold during sleep periods. The biological isolation garment was uncomfortably
hot and its visor fogged. The crew observed flashes at the rate of about one per
minute in the command module at night.
Memo, George M. Low, MSC, to Donald D. Arabian, MSC, "Apollo 11 management
debriefing," Aug. 1, 1969.
August 7
George Low, James McDivitt, Neil Armstrong, and Edwin Aldrin
discussed lunar exploration that could be carried out by astronauts walking in
spacesuits or riding roving vehicles. The following conclusions were reached:
"a. A possible mode of exploration would be to walk 1 hour (3 to 5 miles [5 to 8
kilometers]) to an exploration site; spend 1 to 2 hours at that site; and then
return to the LM. b. It would be easy to carry anything that need be carried,
provided that it did not require the hands for the purpose. c. A roving vehicle
might work if it had extremely large wheels. There appeared to be no significant
advantage of using the presently conceived roving vehicle instead of walking. d.
All extravehicular excursions should be carried out by two men at a time. e.
Excursions should not be carried out beyond the radius of ground
communications."
ASPO Manager, Memo for the Record, "Lunar Exploration," Aug. 13, 1969.
August 7
MSFC-NASA Hq. correspondence emphasized the need to restrict
the lunar roving vehicle to a 181-kilogram weight limit. If necessary, range and
speed would be traded off to retain this weight limit.
Ltr., Saverio F. Morea, MSFC, to William E. Stoney, Jr., NASA Hq., Aug. 7,
1969.
August 10
The Interagency Committee on Back Contamination met in
Atlanta, Ga. Basing its decision on medical and biological data obtained during
a 21-day observation period, the committee lifted the quarantine on the
Apollo 11 crew and the personnel in quarantine with the crew. The
CSM was also released from quarantine. However, all loose equipment removed from
the spacecraft and held in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory would remain in
quarantine until the lunar samples were released. The committee also agreed that
a postlanding ventilation filter would not be required on Apollo 12.
Memo, Richard S. Johnston, MSC, to ASPO Manager, "Apollo Back Contamination
Program," Aug. 11, 1969.
August 12
During lunar module checkout activities at KSC, the LM-6 (for
Apollo 12) guidance computer was removed and replaced because of an unexpected
restart during panel revalidation.
NASA OMSF, "Manned Space Flight Weekly Report - August 18, 1969."
August 13
S. C. Phillips, NASA Hq., suggested that for communications on
the lunar surface a long, deployable antenna might work. He suggested that an
antenna about 30 meters long could be used. The antenna would be rolled up like
a tape measure and would curl into a cylinder when deployed, somewhat like an
antenna that had been used on the CSM.
Ltr., G. M. Low, MSC, to J. A. McDivitt, MSC, "Discussions with General
Phillips," Aug. 13. 1969.
August 18
The Lunar Roving Vehicle Task Team, which had been established
at MSFC on April 7, was reconstituted as the Lunar Mobility Task Team. Its
function would be to direct and coordinate MSFC efforts to conceive, design, and
develop various modes of lunar transportation systems.
MSFC Organization Announcement, "Lunar Roving Vehicle Task Team Reconstituted
as the Lunar Mobility Task Team," Aug. 18, 1969.
August 19
The Apollo 11 seismic experiment package on the
moon was reactivated. Indications were that the unit was fully functional. The
laser reflector was also operating well. Scientists at the McDonald Observatory,
Fort Davis, Tex., conducted ranging operations that established the distance
between the earth and the moon, to within an accuracy of 4 meters as
373,794.3333 kilometers.
NASA OMSF, "Manned Space Flight Weekly Report - August 25, 1969."
August 20
MSC rejected a Grumman proposal to use the LM as a lunar
reconnaissance module. MSC pointed out that an MSC special task team had
recently studied a number of proposals for lunar reconnaissance. These included
use of a command module test vehicle, the AAP multiple docking adapter, the
subsystem test bed, the ascent stage of the LM, and the entire LM vehicle.
Ltrs., Joseph G. Gavin, Jr., Grumman Aerospace Corp., to Robert R. Gilruth
MSC, July 18, 1969; Gilruth to Gavin, Aug. 20, 1969.
August 22
NASA named Rocco A. Petrone, Director of Launch Operations at
KSC, to succeed Samuel C. Phillips as Director of the Apollo Program effective
September 1. (See also July 31, 1969, entry.)
NASA News Release 69-124, "Petrone Named Apollo Director," Aug. 22, 1969.
August 26
In response to a query from MSFC, MSC took the position that
primary batteries as opposed to secondary (rechargeable batteries) should be
used to power the lunar roving vehicle. Concern was expressed that a solar array
recharge assembly would introduce an extra complexity into the LM payload
packaging and the roving vehicle servicing requirements and would contribute to
a loss in effective EVA time because astronauts would need time to deploy the
solar array and connect it to the rover.
Ltrs. Saverio F. Morea, MSFC, to John D. Hodge, MSC, July 14, 1969; Hodge to
Morea, "Power requirements for the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV)," August 26, 1969.
Analyses of the radioactive decay of Argon
40 and Neon 21 in two lunar samples indicated that the minimum age of the part
of the Sea of Tranquillity from which the samples were obtained was about 3.1
billion years - plus or minus 200 million years.
NASA OMSF, "Manned Space Flight Weekly Report - September 2, 1969."
September 8
After the preliminary examination of Apollo 11
lunar samples, the Department of the Interior made a number of recommendations
for processing samples to be brought from the moon by the Apollo 12 mission.
Memo, E. C. T. Chao and R. L. Smith, Dept. of Interior, to W. Hess, A. J.
Calio, and P. R. Bell, MSC, "Recommendations and suggestions for preliminary
examination of Apollo 12 returned lunar samples," Sept. 6, 1969; ltr., R. S.
Johnston, MSC, to Chao and Smith, Sept. 23, 1969.
September 16
The first reported weights of Apollo 11 lunar
samples were inaccurate because of a number of variables that could not be
eliminated until after quarantine was lifted, MSC told NASA Hq. Because of the
concern this inaccuracy had generated, procedures were being developed for
future missions to permit more accurate determination of sample weights early in
the Lunar Receiving Laboratory processing cycle.
Memo, George M. Low, MSC, to Rocco A. Petrone, NASA Hq., "Apollo 11 Lunar
Sample Weight," Sept. 16, 1969.
September 17
The Interagency Committee on Back Contamination recommended
changes in Apollo mission recovery procedures, including:
- Elimination of the biological isolation garment and, instead, use of a
mask and clean room garment for astronauts returning from lunar missions.
- Design changes to improve the spacecraft and mobile quarantine facility
tunnel operation.
Memo for record, Richard S. Johnston, MSC, "Apollo 12
Back Contamination Program," Sept. 17, 1969; memo, Donald K. Slayton, MSC, to
Special Assistant to Director, "Crew comments on the use of biological isolation
garment (BIG)," Oct. 6, 1969.
September 19
MSC replied to a query that 136 flags of other nations, the
U.N. flag, and flags from each state and territory of the United States had been
flown on Apollo 11. The flags, measuring 10.16 cm x 15.24 cm and
made of silkscreened rayon, were procured through available commercial sources.
Vacuum packed and stowed in Beta cloth bags for flammability protection the
flags were not removed from the containers during the flight. The American flag
left on the surface of the moon would probably last for a considerable period,
since the only deterioration expected would be from the solar wind.
Ltr., Donald K. Slayton, MSC, to Mrs. Seddon Sadtler, ca. Sept. 19, 1969.
September 23
In response to a query from Guinness
Superlatives, London, as to the maximum distance from the earth reached
by Apollo 8 and Apollo 11, MSC said the maximum
distance for Apollo 8 was 377,348.704 kilometers, during the 10th
lunar revolution. The maximum distance from the earth for Apollo 11
was 389,921.3764 kilometers, during lunar orbit insertion. However, because of
the requirement to exceed previously established space records by 10 percent,
the altitude achieved on Apollo 8 was still the recognized record.
Ltr., George M. Low, MSC, to Norris D. McWhirter, Guinness
Superlatives, Sept. 23, 1969.
September 25
James A. McDivitt was appointed ASPO Manager at MSC. George
M. Low, former ASPO Manager was temporarily on special assignment at MSC to plan
future MSC programs and work on organizational matters.
MSC News Release, 69-66, Sept. 25, 1969.
September 25-26
A Manned Space Flight Awareness seminar was held at MSC.
The seminar, attended by some 500 industry and government representatives,
emphasized the need for maintaining the dedication and motivation that led to
the success of Apollo 11.
NASA OMSF, "Manned Space Flight Weekly Report - September 29, 1969."
