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The Apollo 11 crew.

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Apollo 11 lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969.

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Buzz Aldrin walks on the Moon during Apollo 11.

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Columbia is the gem of the ocean after Apollo 11 splashes down in the Pacific.

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Flight Day Eight: Halfway Home


posted: 30 June 2005
05:20 am


JULY 23, 1969

2:14 a.m.- The Apollo 11 crew of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins starts sleep period.

12:20 p.m.- Crew awakens. Begins relaxed checking of systems andconversation with Mission Control in Houston.

3:56 p.m.- The Columbia command and service module passes midway point of journey homeward from the Moon, a point some 101,000 nautical miles from their eventual re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and parachute splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

7:03 p.m.- Final color television transmission from the cabin of Apollo 11 begins, each of the crewmembers reflects on their journey to the Moon.

Here's a transcript of each of their comments.

COLLINS: ". . . The Saturn V rocket which put us in orbit is an incredibly complicated piece of machinery, every piece of which worked flawlessly. This computer above my head has a 38,000-word vocabulary, each word of which has been carefully chosen to be of the utmost value to us. The SPS engine, our large rocket engine on the aft end of our service module, must have performed flawlessly or we would have been stranded in lunar orbit. The parachutes up above my head must work perfectly tomorrow or we will plummet into the ocean. We have always had confidence that this equipment will work properly. All this is possible only through the blood, sweat, and tears of a number of people. First, the American workmen who put these pieces of machinery together in the factory. Second, the painstaking work done by various test teams during the assembly and retest after assembly. And finally, the people at the Manned Spacecraft Center, both in management, in mission planning, in flight control, and last but not least, in crew training. This operation is somewhat like the periscope of a submarine. All you see is the three of us, but beneath the surface are thousands and thousands of others, and to all of those, I would like to say, 'Thank you very much.'"

ALDRIN: ". . . This has been far more than three men on a mission to the Moon; more, still, than the efforts of a government and industry team; more, even, than the efforts of one nation. We feel that this stands as a symbol of the insatiable curiosity of all mankind to explore the unknown. Today I feel we're really fully capable of accepting expanded roles in the exploration of space. In retrospect, we have all been particularly pleased with the call signs that we very laboriously chose for our spacecraft, Columbia and Eagle. We've been pleased with the emblem of our flight, the eagle carrying an olive branch, bringing theuniversal symbol of peace from the planet Earth to the Moon. Personally, in reflecting on the events of the past several days, a verse from Psalms comes to mind. 'When I consider the heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the Moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man that Thou art mindful of him?'"

ARMSTRONG: "The responsibility for this flight lies first with history and with the giants of science who have preceded this effort; next with the American people, who have, through their will, indicated their desire; next with four administrations and their Congresses, for implementing that will; and then, with the agency and industry teams that built our spacecraft, the Saturn, the Columbia, the Eagle, and the little EMU, the spacesuit and backpack that was our small spacecraft out on the lunar surface. We would like to give special thanks to all those Americans who built the spacecraft; who did the construction, design, the tests, and put their hearts and all their abilities into those craft. To those people tonight, we give a special thank you, and to all the other people that are listening and watching tonight, God bless you. Good night from Apollo 11."

Source: NASA history office.

 

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