The crew chosen for Apollo 11 was Neil Alden Armstrong, as Mission Commander; Edwin 'Buzz' Eugene Aldrin Jr, Lunar Module Pilot; and Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot. All three were born in 1930.

Neil A Armstrong from Wapakoneta, Ohio, learned to fly at the age of 14; joined the US Navy and (as a pilot) flew 78 combat missions in the Korean war. He was shot down on one mission but parachuted to safety. After the war, in 1955, he became an aeronautical engineer and joined the Lewis Research Centre as a test pilot. In April 1962, he flew the X-15 rocket plane to 4,000 mph on the outer edges of the earth's atmosphere. He was later selected as an astronaut in the second group to be chosen and commanded the Gemini 8 mission.

Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin from Montclair, New Jersey graduated from West Point, the US military academy, in 1951 with a bachelors degree with honours in science. He also flew in the Korean war completing 66 combat missions. He obtained a PhD degree in astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where his thesis subject was on techniques of orbital rendezvous and docking. Selected as an astronaut in the third intake group in 1963 he flew the last Gemini mission.

Michael Collins was born in Rome, Italy, where his father was a military attaché. He also graduated with a science degree from West Point Academy in 1952. In the United States Air Force he held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and amassed 4,000 hours flying experimental jets from Edward's Air Force base, California. He was accepted into the third astronaut intake with Aldrin and flew in Gemini 10. He was selected as command module pilot for Apollo 8, but an operation for a spinal bone spur problem forced him to relinquish his place to James Lovell.

It took a year to train an Apollo crew for its mission, each member usually having at least eighteen months of previous astronaut training experience. Their training included 'flying' simulators of both the command and lunar modules, rehearsing and testing their spacecraft's procedures for every stage of the flight, and setting procedures for any situation that could conceivably go wrong. They received briefings at the CM and LM manufacturer's factories during the construction of the modules they were to fly. Training for the moonwalks required repeated practice of the procedures that were to be used while on the lunar surface; and they underwent lectures on geology and field training in volcanic and cratered locations throughout the USA.

In addition to simulator experience, Armstrong and Aldrin also practised real life handling with the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle (LLTV). A flying bedstead contraption, built by Bell Aerosystems. This was powered by a 4,200 pound thrust jet engine, which lifted five sixths of the vehicle's weight, while two 500 pound variable thrust rocket motors lifted the remaining sixth, its proportional weight in lunar gravity. Attitude of the craft was controlled by jet thrusters in the same manner as the lunar module, to give the feel and handling of the LM in the last few minutes of a moon landing, as far as could be replicated inside the earth's atmosphere. In practice, the machine proved difficult to handle; and, on one occasion, Armstrong had to eject from the machine as it went out of control.

Lift-Off, 16 July, 1969

At dawn on 16 July, 1969, the crew of Apollo 11 breakfasted on the now traditional low fibre, low waste meal of steak and eggs; donned their spacesuits; and took the transfer van to the waiting spacecraft, which was steadily progressing through the final countdown to Takeoff (T). Two and a half hours before lift off, assisted by the white room 'close down' team, the astronauts settled into their take-off positions. The technicians closed the access hatches and withdrew, while the crew carried on with their check out routine to prepare themselves and Apollo 11 for launch.

T minus 43 minutes - The crew's access arm on the launch tower is retracts and swings away from Apollo to a ready position clear of the spacecraft but able to be redeployed if an emergency occurred. If sufficient time is available, the crew's escape route at this point in the countdown would be down a high speed access lift in the launch tower and into a chute that would take them to a concrete bunker under the launch pad. If time is limited, the escape would be in a cage and down a zip line to an armoured fire tender waiting at the edge of the pad.

T minus 6 minutes - The monotone voice of Launch Control, Public Affairs Announcer Jack King, broadcasts to television audiences around the world:

This is Apollo Saturn launch control. We've passed the six-minute mark in our countdown for Apollo 11, now five minutes, 52 seconds and counting. We're on time at the present time for our planned lift off at 32 minutes past the hour. Spacecraft test conductor Skip Chauvin now has completed the status check of his personnel in the control room, all report they are go for the mission, and this has been reported to the test supervisor Bill Schick. The test supervisor is now going through some status checks... Launch operations manager Paul Donnelly reports go for launch. Launch director Rocco Petrone now gives the go, We're five minutes 20 seconds and counting...

T minus 5 minutes - The access arm is fully retracted and the Launch Escape Tower (LET) armed. At this point, in the event of an emergency evacuation of the spacecraft, the crew's only choice of escape route is with a twist of the abort handle, situated by Armstrong's left knee, which will fire the solid fuel rocket of the LET, mounted on an tower above the command module. This will lift the CM clear of the moon ship and launch pad to a height that will enable the CM's re-entry parachutes to be deployed and return the crew to the ground.

T minus 3 minutes 10 seconds - The automatic launch sequencer in the Launch Control Centre's (LCC) firing room takes over the countdown and begins a controlled sequence of several hundred events leading up to lift-off at T minus 0:00. The launch team continue to monitor the 'red line values', that is the temperatures and pressures in the Saturn's fuel systems, as pressure builds up in the tanks and the fuel load is topped off.

T minus one minute 54 seconds and counting... Our status board indicates that the oxidizer tanks of the second and third stages now have pressurized. We continue to build up pressure in all three stages here at the last minutes to prepare for lift off... T minus one minute35 seconds on the Apollo mission, the flight to land the first men on the moon. All indications coming into the control centre at this time indicate we are go... One minute 25 seconds and counting... Our status board indicates the third stage completely pressurized... 80-second mark has now been passed....

T minus 50 seconds: - The Saturn V switches to its own internal power source; and four of the nine service arms disconnect from the rocket and swing back to the launch tower.

Neil Armstrong just reported back it's been a real smooth countdown... we've passed the fifty second mark. Power transfer is complete, we're on internal power with the launch vehicle at this time... 40 seconds away from the Apollo 11 lift off... all the second stage tanks now pressurized... 35 seconds and counting. We are still go with Apollo 11... Thirty seconds and counting...'

T minus 17 seconds - The final alignment of the Saturn's on-board guidance computer in the instrument unit is completed by the master computer at launch control. The Saturn's guidance computer is transferred to its own internal power supply.

T minus 15 seconds... guidance is internal, twelve... eleven... ten...

T minus 10 seconds - A deluge system begins to pump water into a flame trench under the launch pad apron to cool the trench and damp out some of the noise and vibration from the exhaust of the Saturn's five engines.

nine...

T minus 8.9 seconds - Ignition of the five F1 engines begins, as the launch sequencer fires pyrotechnics inside each of the engines, igniting the pressurized fuel being pumped into their combustion chambers. Exhaust flames roar into the trench vaporizing the water deluge.

Ignition sequence starts, six... five... four... three...

T minus 2 seconds - Internal turbines in each of the five engines, driven by the exhaust gasses have built the supply of kerosene and liquid oxygen up to full flow, bringing the engine's thrust up to launch power. All five engines are running at 90 per cent of full power and are consuming fuel at the rate of 10,000 pounds per second. The water from the deluge system has increased to 50,000 gallons per minute, which is vaporized in the flame trench by the exhaust gasses that are travelling at up to four times the speed of sound. The steam adds to the huge billowing cloud jetting out to each side of the launch pad. The on-board computer checks the systems in the Saturn twice per second for faults; if it finds one, it will shut the engines down.

two... one...

T minus 0 seconds. GET 00:00:00 (Hr:Mn:Sec) - Thirty two minutes past nine EDT, the 'launch commit' signal from launch control's computer releases the hold down clamps on the launch pad, allowing the 3,000 ton rocket, which had now consumed some 80,000 pounds of fuel, to rise. As the Saturn V lifts off the launch pad, the first two centimetres of vertical travel trips the catch plates of the remaining service arms, which disconnect and swing clear. At the base of the S-IC twelve bolts, which anchor the rocket to the pad, pull through dies to slow the initial acceleration. At the moment of lift off the launch countdown ends and the Ground Elapsed Time (GET) clock starts, which will time the mission to the final splash down.

... zero, all engines running. Lift off, we have a lift off, thirty two minutes past the hour, lift off on Apollo eleven.

GET 00:00:02 - The four outer F1 engines tilt slightly on their gimbals to induce a yaw manoeuvre, tilting the Saturn off vertical and moving the whole rocket stack sideways, away from the tower. Ice, which has formed on the Saturn's outer skin next to the liquid oxygen tanks begins to shed in large flakes. Three miles away in the viewing stand near launch control the air and ground vibrates from a wall of sound that can be felt beating against the spectators chests. The shouts and cheers of 'Go!... Go!...Go!...' from among almost a million spectators in the surrounding countryside view points are drowned out by the crackling roar of the Saturn's engines. In eight seconds it has cleared the launch tower, trailing a 300 foot sheet of flame.

Launch Control reports 'Tower clear'. On board the spacecraft, Armstrong reports, 'We have a roll program'. As Apollo 11 cleared the launch tower, launch control's job is done; and responsibility for the flight is assumed by the flight controllers at Mission Control Centre (MCC) in Houston, Texas, who also take over the commentary.

GET 00:00:15 - The Saturn begins a roll and pitch manoeuvre to point it out over the Atlantic ocean and into a trajectory that will curve it over and into the planned orbital insertion flight path. Apollo 11 accelerates into a near cloudless sky, building up a pressure wave in front of the craft. It passes through the speed of sound at over 600 mph vertically.

GET 00:01.00 - The three crewmembers are being pressed into their couches, as they experience acceleration forces in excess of 3g. From the ground the spacecraft disappears into the heavens, leaving a trail of exhaust gasses and the sound of rolling thunder, as a cloud of white smoke drifts away from the now empty launch pad.

Mission Control:

Downrange 1 mile, altitude 3, 4 miles now... velocity 2,195 feet per second.

GET 00:01:21 - The moment of maximum dynamic pressure (Max-Q) occurs, as the Saturn accelerates to 1,800 mph through 43,000 feet altitude, pushing the craft through the lower atmosphere and towards the thinner layers above. The ride is smooth; the crew lay back in their couches and monitor their instrument readings.

Eight miles downrange, twelve miles high, velocity 4,000 feet per second.

GET 00:02:00 - The fuel in the S-IC is running down. Armstrong gets the 'Go for staging' clearance from mission control.

GET 00:02:15 - The centre F1 engine shuts down at 145,000 ft altitude, the rocket is now 28 miles down range from the launch site, and at a speed of 4,400 mph.

GET 00:02:40 - The remaining four outboard engines shut down. They have consumed over 2,000 tons of fuel and reduced the rockets weight by two thirds. Altitude is now 217,000 ft, downrange 57 miles and its speed is 6,100 mph. The crew slam forward in their harness. One second after shutdown, clamps holding the first stage release; and eight solid fuel retro-rockets fire to slow down the expended S-IC and separate it from the S-II second stage. The S-IC's work is done, The empty first stage drops away under the influence of gravity to fall back into the Atlantic Ocean. As the first stage separates, four 21,000 pound thrust ullage rockets in the S-IC/S-II interstage ring fire to push the fuel in the S-II to the bottom of its tanks. One second later the five J-2 engines of the second stage ignite and build up to full power. Acceleration continues and the crew are once more pressed back into their couches, as they continue to build up the lightened craft's speed and height.

GET 00:03:11 - At 301,000 feet altitude, downrange 100 miles, and speed 6,400 mph, the interstage is jettisoned; and six seconds later the Launch Escape Tower's (LET) solid fuel rocket ignites and pulls the Boost Protective Cover (BPC) free. In the event of an emergency, the astronauts will now have to complete a short hop into space before they can re-enter.

GET 00:07:40 - Three and a half minutes after ignition, the J-2 engines have built the crafts speed up to 12,800 mph. It is 690 miles downrange and at 588,000 feet. The centre engine shuts down and mission control reports that 'Apollo 11 is go for staging'.

GET 00:09:11 - Altitude 610,000 ft, Downrange 1,018 miles, Speed 15,500 mph. The four remaining engines shut down and the S-II separates. The single engine of the S-IVB third stage starts up. Two minutes into the S-II burn, mission control reports that 'Apollo 11 is go for orbit'. The J-2 engine continues to burn, accelerating Apollo 11 to an orbital velocity of over 17,000 mph.

GET 00:11:40 - Altitude 617,000 feet, downrange 1,639 miles, Speed 17,380 mph. The J-2 engine shuts down as Apollo 11 attains an orbital height of 101 nautical miles. The total weight of the spacecraft is now 300,000 pounds, four per cent of its original lift off weight. The crew and mission control check out the craft during the next one and a half orbits and get the 'go' signal for the Trans Lunar Injection (TLI) burn.

GET 02:44 (Hr:Min) - The J-2 engine is started for a second time, to burn for 5 minutes 20 seconds, which increases Apollo 11's speed to 24,182 mph, easing it out of the earth parking orbit and on towards the moon.

GET 03:15 - The crew separate the CSM from the S-IVB; the four panels covering the lunar module are jettisoned; and they carry out the Transposition and Docking Manoeuvre (TDM) to remove the LM from the top of the S-IVB. Apollo 11 and the S-IVB are now flying on parallel paths. The crew restart the S-IVB's engine remotely for the last time to send it on a course that will take it in a slingshot manoeuvre around the back of the moon and out into a permanent orbit around the sun.

During the trans-lunar journey the astronauts settled into a routine and carried out a number of tasks, including putting Apollo into Passive Thermal Control (PTC) or 'barbecue mode'. They fired the attitude thrusters to induce a 0.3 degree per second roll around its central axis, preventing localized overheating due to the same side of the craft being constantly exposed to the sun while the opposing side freezes in constant shadow. Rotating the craft in this way evened out the overall thermal exposure.

Meals prepared from dehydrated, freeze dried packs were reconstituted by adding water from either a hot or cold spigot that measured out one ounce quantities of water to the packs; and after kneading, the contents were ready to be eaten. Typically, a meal in space for the Apollo 11 crew consisted of chicken and rice with salad, followed by sugar cookies and a pineapple drink. After the meal germicide pills were placed in the empty food packs to prevent fermentation and gas production while stowed in the waste compartment.

Toilet facilities were basic. Solid waste was collected in plastic defecation bags, containing germicides to prevent bacterial action, and stored in a compartment for post flight analysis. Urine, also collected in bags, was ejected into space through a valve in the CM's cabin wall. Earlier Gemini astronauts had found that, if the ejection was timed so that the craft's valve opening rotated into the sunlight during the spacecraft's 'sunrise', a miniature fireworks display could be produced.

In a weightless environment water tends to separate into globules; and to prevent the risk of droplets getting into electrical systems washing was accomplished by means of wet towels and tissues. Shaving with the aid of an aerosol foam was found to be the most effective answer to the problem of a multitude of weightless bristles circulating in the capsule. Thousands of dollars had already been spent on the development of an electric razor with an attached vacuum cleaner and collection bag before shaving foam proved to be just as effective. In reality, the astronauts had an even more effective answer to the shaving question, as they rarely shaved at all throughout the flights. To clean their teeth the crew used chewing gum and edible toothpaste.

At this time in the Apollo program a recognized part of any space flight was television coverage, which attracted huge audiences throughout the world. On Apollo 11, the crew gave several transmissions of the crafts interior, demonstrated weightlessness with various objects floating in front of the camera, and showed the earth from space through the CM's observation windows. Pictures of the western coast of North America, Mexico, and down through the Yucatan peninsula to Venezuela were all relayed back to earth audiences.

GET 22:30 - The crew wakes after a rest period and prepares for a mid course correction. Four burns of the Service Propulsion System's (SPS) engine in the Service Module are scheduled during the outbound flight. An earlier course correction burn had not proved to be necessary and had been cancelled. For the second, in order to get the correct parameters for engine's alignment and the duration of the burn, Collins has to take a star sighting to establish their position and attitude relative to a theoretical flight path, which has been stored in the on-board computer. He sights on two of a number of known stars through a sextant in the crafts navigation bay and, by pressing a key on the navigation computer, the alignment is transferred for comparison with the stored memory of star positions. With information supplied by MCC of the craft's range and speed , the computer is able to calculate the necessary alignment of the engine and duration of the burn to return it to the correct path.

GET 26:46 - At a distance of 109,000 miles from earth Collins carries out a mid-course correction burn of the main Service Propulsion System (SPS) engine of three seconds duration to successfully correct the flight path. The trajectory of the spacecraft is now accurate enough to cancel the two subsequent planned correction burns. With the mid course correction completed the crew settle down to rest, as, under the influence of the earth's gravity, Apollo's speed slowed to 3,400 mph. As it passes the point where the earth's and the moon's gravity balance one another Apollo comes under the influence of the moon's pull, and begins to accelerate again.

GET 57:00 - The crew pressurize the lunar module; and Armstrong and Aldrin enter it for the first time through the docking tunnel to check out its systems. Another television broadcast is given by Armstrong to show a world audience around its interior.

GET 75:32 - Apollo 11, accelerating under the gravitational pull of the moon, swings around its far side and approaches the critical Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) burn, where it will have to fire the SPS engine (retrograde to its line of flight) to reduce its speed, placing it in lunar orbit.

Apollo eleven, this is Houston. All systems are looking good going around the corner. We'll see you on the other side.

GET 75:41 - Mission control loses the signal (LOS) from Apollo 11 as it passes out of sight of the earth. This will happen each time the spacecraft's orbit takes it around to the far side of the moon.

We have loss of signal as Apollo eleven goes behind the moon... We're seven minutes and forty five seconds away from LOI. With a good burn the Madrid station should acquire Apollo eleven at 76 hours 15 minutes and 29 seconds.

GET 76:15 - Acquisition of Signal (AOS). 'Apollo eleven, ... Apollo eleven, this is Houston, can you read me?'

Armstrong: 'Read you loud and clear...'

Apollo 11 had achieved an elliptical orbit of 170 by 60 miles with the LOI burn; and, after another two orbits, again fired the SPS engine from behind the moon for a further 16 seconds to establish a circular orbit of 60 miles above the lunar surface, from where the crew could observe the approach to the landing site, as they overflew the Sea of Tranquillity every two hours.

Further Reading

• Apollo 11 - The First Lunar Landing
• Apollo 11 - Return to Orbit
• The Apollo Missions, The Beginnings
• Project Apollo, Mission Planning
• Apollo Missions, Landing Site Selection
• Apollo Missions Earthbound Support Systems
• Apollo Missions - Astronaut Selection and Training
• The Saturn/Apollo Stack
• Apollo Pathfinders
• The Early Missions
• The Intermediate Missions
• Apollo 15 Exploration
• Apollo 16 Exploration
• Apollo 17 Exploration
• Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz
• Apollo Conclusion