Two
astronauts left the Moon 37 years ago today, the first of only 12 humans ever
to walk on its surface.
NASA’s
Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin launched spaceward from
their Sea of Tranquility (Mare Tranquilitatis) landing site after more than 21
hours on the lunar surface.
The two
astronauts rode their Eagle lunar lander to the Moon’s surface on July 20, 1969
while crewmate Michael Collins kept watch aboard their command module in orbit.
The
European Space Agency’s (ESA) SMART-1 spacecraft provides an orbital view of
the Apollo 11 landing site, redubbed Tranquility Base during the lunar mission,
from a distance of some 1,096 miles (1,764 kilometers).
Seen in
this image are craters named after two of the three Apollo 11 astronauts. A
third crater named after Armstrong lies outside the field of view.
-- SPACE.com Staff
Credit: ESA/Space-X (Space
Exploration Institute)
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