Apollo 11
Mission / eventCompleted
Apollo 11: Land two astronauts safely on the Moon and return the crew to Earth
Apollo 11 completed the first crewed landing on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed lunar module Eagle in the Sea of Tranquility while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard Columbia. Armstrong and Aldrin spent about two and a half hours outside, deployed experiments, photographed the site, and collected 21. 6 kilograms of material before rejoining Collins and returning safely to Earth.
Mission photo archive
Reviewed photographs documenting Apollo 11. Every image links to its official NASA catalog record.
Saturn Apollo Program event hero
The Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar mission, launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida via the Saturn V launch vehicle on July 16, 1969 and safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. Leaving a wide plume of flame as it climbed into the thin atmosphere of high altitude, the 363 foot tall, 6,400,000 pound Saturn V rocket hurled the spacecraft into Earth parking orbit and then placed it on the trajectory to the moon. The Saturn V was developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun. Aboard the spacecraft were astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, Command Module (CM) pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module (LM) pilot. With the success of Apollo 11, the national objective to land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth had been accomplished.
Astronaut Edwin Aldrin walks on lunar surface near leg of Lunar Module event hero
AS11-40-5903 (20 July 1969) --- Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot, walks on the surface of the moon near the leg of the Lunar Module (LM) "Eagle" during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA). Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera. While astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the Lunar Module (LM) "Eagle" to explore the Sea of Tranquility region of the moon, astronaut Michael Collins, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) "Columbia" in lunar orbit.
Saturn Apollo Program event hero
The Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar mission, launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida via the Saturn V launch vehicle on July 16, 1969 and safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. The Saturn V vehicle was developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun. Aboard were astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, Command Module (CM) pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module (LM) pilot. The CM, piloted by Michael Collins remained in a parking orbit around the Moon while the LM, named “Eagle’’, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, landed on the Moon. Armstrong was the first human to ever stand on the lunar surface, followed by Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin. During 2½ hours of surface exploration, the crew collected 47 pounds of lunar surface material for analysis back on Earth. Shown here is the recovery operation of the capsule in the Pacific Ocean after splashdown. The three astronauts wait in the life raft as a pararescue man closes and secures the capsule hatch. The crew was then air lifted to the prime recovery ship, the U.S.S. Hornet, where they were housed in a Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF).
Launch record
Explore this mission’s launch, including its vehicle, launch site, payload, and outcome.
Apollo CM-107
launch attemptDeep-space attemptcompletedNo reviewed launch image8 connectionsMission dossier
Flight profile, locations, hardware, and outcome in the same reference format used throughout the archive.
Flight profile
Places and recovery
Mission record
Trajectory profile
3 sourcesFollow the mission from departure through its flight environment, destination, and final phase. This sequence is not a scale orbital plot.
Mission locations
3 sourcesDocumented surface, test, landing, and recovery locations. Map links use the cited place name or exact coordinates; AstronautAtlas does not geocode or estimate missing positions.
Departure or test site
Launch site
Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A
Landing site
Landing site
Pacific Ocean
Landing site
Lunar landing site
Sea of Tranquility
Assignment Manifest
The flight crew and the backup team assigned to train for this mission.
Prime crew
3 assignmentsBackup crew
Trained for the mission but did not count as flown unless reassigned to the prime crew.
Mission Purpose
3 sources- Land two astronauts safely on the Moon and return the crew to Earth.
- Conduct a crewed exploration of the Sea of Tranquility landing site.
- Deploy the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package and document the local surface environment.
- Collect and return lunar rock, soil, and contingency samples for laboratory study.
Planned Flight Plan
3 sources- July 16, 1969
Apollo 11 begins
Columbia and Eagle was assigned to Land two astronauts safely on the Moon and return the crew to Earth.
- Primary phase
Conduct a crewed exploration of the Sea of Tranquility landing site
Command module: Columbia (CM-107); Lunar module: Eagle (LM-5); Surface science: Passive seismometer, laser-ranging retroreflector, solar-wind collector, cameras, and sampling tools
- Mission objective
Deploy the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package and document the local surface environment
Apollo 11 operated within Apollo to pursue the program objective.
- July 24, 1969
Apollo 11 outcome
Apollo 11 concluded with the recorded status Completed: Apollo 11: Land two astronauts safely on the Moon and return the crew to Earth.
Mission Timeline
3 sources- July 16, 1969
Apollo 11 begins
Columbia and Eagle began Apollo 11 to Land two astronauts safely on the Moon and return the crew to Earth.
Open operation record - Operations
Conduct a crewed exploration of the Sea of Tranquility landing site
Command module: Columbia (CM-107); Lunar module: Eagle (LM-5); Surface science: Passive seismometer, laser-ranging retroreflector, solar-wind collector, cameras, and sampling tools
Open operation record - Defining result
Apollo 11: Land two astronauts safely on the Moon and return the crew to Earth
Apollo 11 completed the first crewed landing on the Moon.
Open operation record - July 24, 1969
Apollo 11: Completed
Collect and return lunar rock, soil, and contingency samples for laboratory study.