The Quarantine — What Was It Like
Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins have been in quarantine since splashdown. They're in a trailer attached to the Manned Spacecraft Center. What is that actually like?
Read the full entry
Mission Log: Apollo 11
The first lunar landing — July 20, 1969
The World Tour — Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins
Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins finished their 21-day quarantine and are now doing a world tour that's being called "Giant Step." I've been following it in the newspapers.
Read the full entry
I Looked Up Last Night
Apollo 11 splashed down safely on Thursday. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins are home. But last night I walked outside and looked up at the Moon, and it was different. It looked different. Not because anything had changed about the Moon. Because something had changed about me. About us. It's not…
Read the full entry
Aldrin’s Communion on the Moon
I learned recently that Buzz Aldrin took communion on the surface of the Moon. He's spoken about it in interviews. I've been sitting with this for a few days.
Read the full entry
One Small Step
Neil Armstrong descended the ladder of the Eagle at 10:56 PM Eastern and stepped onto the Moon. His first words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Buzz Aldrin followed twenty minutes later. I watched on television, the picture grainy and miraculous, and I kept thinking:…
Read the full entry
Tranquility Base Here — The Eagle Has Landed
At 4:17 PM Eastern Time, Eagle landed on the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong's voice: "Tranquility Base here — the Eagle has landed."
Read the full entry
The Eagle Has Landed
Sunday, July 20th, 1969. At 4:17 PM Eastern time, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Lunar Module Eagle in the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong said: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." I was in my living room. I am not ashamed to say I could not speak…
Read the full entry
Program Alarm 1202
Partway through the powered descent, a guidance computer alarm called 1202 appeared. The whole world held its breath. A 24-year-old named Jack Garman said "go."
Read the full entry
Lunar Orbit Insertion — They Made It
Apollo 11 entered lunar orbit this afternoon. The service propulsion engine fired for 6 minutes behind the Moon, and when the spacecraft came back in radio contact, they were in orbit.
Read the full entry
Two Days Out
Apollo 11 is two days out from the Moon. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins are coasting through space at about 2,000 miles per hour now, slowing as Earth's gravity pulls them back.
Read the full entry