Apollo 11 LM “Eagle”

Key facts

Mission & specifications

Mission

Eagle was the Apollo 11 Lunar Module — the spidery two-stage craft built to ferry two astronauts from lunar orbit down to the surface and back. On 20 July 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin undocked Eagle from the Command Module Columbia and began their descent. As the autopilot steered toward a boulder-strewn crater, and computer alarms sounded, Armstrong took manual control and flew on, touching down with only seconds of fuel to spare at the Sea of Tranquility. About six and a half hours later he climbed down the ladder with the words 'one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind'. He and Aldrin spent roughly two and a half hours outside — planting a flag, taking photographs, talking with President Nixon, deploying experiments and gathering 21.5 kg of rock and soil. Eagle's lower descent stage served as the launch pad for the upper ascent stage, which lifted the pair back to Columbia for the journey home. The descent stage still stands at Tranquility Base today, a permanent monument to the first time humans set foot on another world.

1. 1969Undocking from ColumbiaMilestone

   Eagle separates from the Command Module in lunar orbit to begin its descent.

2. 1969Touchdown at Tranquility BaseLanding

   Computer alarms and a boulder field force a manual landing; Armstrong sets down with seconds of fuel to spare, at 20:17 UTC.

3. 1969First steps on the MoonSpacewalk / EVA

   Armstrong, then Aldrin, walk on the surface, plant a flag and collect 21.5 kg of rock and soil.

4. 1969Ascent to orbitAscent

   Eagle's ascent stage lifts off, leaving the descent stage behind, and redocks with Columbia.

Images

Images from open archives · credit shown per image