On this day: 40 years ago


 
Earth seen by Apollo crew hours before reentry
 
 
23 July 2009
 
23 July 1969
At 2:08 a.m. CEST, a live TV transmission to Earth begins. Afterwards the crew start another sleep period.
 
5:20 p.m. The crew awakens and begins relaxed checking of systems and conversation with Mission Control.

8:56 p.m. Spacecraft passes midway point of journey homeward, 330 000 km from splashdown.
 
 
   
Apollo 11 after splashdown
 
11:47 a.m. CEST, 24 July The last day of the mission, the crew awakens after another sleep period and begins to prepare for splashdown.

5:35 p.m. Command and Service Modules are separated and the Command Module re-enters Earth's atmosphere.

5:51 p.m. Spacecraft splashes down 1500 km southwest of Hawaii about 25 km miles from the recovery ship, the USS Hornet.
  
 
 More information:
  
ESA celebrates the 40th anniversary of mankind first setting foot on the Moon and pays tribute to the men and women who took part in this endeavour, some of whom are still active in NASA, ESA and international space programmes. A series of articles chronicles each day of the historic mission 40 years ago, from launch to landing, with many rarely-seen archive photographs and highlights of some fascinating European contributions to lunar exploration.
  
 
 •  The Apollo 11 crew (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/SEMJDNQORVF_0.html)

On this day, 40 years ago...

 •  More pictures from this day in 1969 (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/SEML1Z6CTWF_mg_1.html)
 •  16 July 1969 (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/SEMPVNQORVF_0.html)
 •  17 July 1969 (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/SEMT5PQORVF_0.html)
 •  18 July 1969 (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/SEM7JF916XF_0.html)
 •  19 July 1969 (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/SEMG1G916XF_0.html)
 •  20 July 1969 (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/SEML1H916XF_0.html)
 •  21 July 1969 (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/SEMQII916XF_0.html)
 •  22 July 1969 (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/SEMSMI916XF_0.html)
 •  First 'flag' on the Moon? (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/SEMA527CTWF_0.html)
 •  Interview with an Apollo ground station pioneer (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Operations/SEM7L67CTWF_0_iv.html)
 •  ESA 'birthday card' of Apollo 11 landing site (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/SEMBB90P0WF_0.html)
 •  Human Spaceflight (http://www.esa.int/esaHS/index.html)
 •  Education with ESA (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Education/)
 •  History of Europe in space (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Year_2007/index.html)
 •  NASA Apollo 40th anniversary site (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/40th/index.html)