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Key dates 1960-2010Key figures European space pioneersPast Directors General of ESAESRO Directors GeneralELDO Secretaries GeneralChairs of ELDO/ESRO/ESA CouncilESA History Project The History of the European Space AgencySpace history on the webFurther reading on European space historyDownload ESA Bulletin: The ESA History ProjectHistory Study ReportsA History of the European Space Agency, Volume I:
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| | Apollo 11 arrives in lunar orbit | |
On this day: 40 years ago
19 July 1969
At 3:00 a.m. CEST, Mission Control tells the crew goodnight. At 4:12 a.m. the velocity of spacecraft has slowed to 0.9 km/s as it enters the Moon's sphere of gravitational influence.
11:58 a.m. The astronauts call Mission Control to ask about scheduled course correction and are told it has been cancelled. They are advised to go back to sleep.
1:32 p.m. Mission Control rouses the crew to start on breakfast and housekeeping chores.
| | | Aldrin working in the Lunar Module |
3:42 p.m. Armstrong reports: “The view of the Moon that we've been having recently is really spectacular. It about three-quarters of the hatch window and, of course, we can see the entire circumference, even though part of it is in complete shadow and part of it’s in earth-shine. It’s a view worth the price of the trip.”
5:58 p.m. The crew is informed by Mission Control that they are ready for the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) engine burn to slow the vehicle so that it can be captured by lunar gravity. The Flight Director reports: “Apollo 11, you are go for LOI.”
6:13 p.m. Spacecraft passes completely behind the Moon and out of radio contact with Earth for the first time.
| | | Looking inside Lunar Module 'Eagle' |
6:28 p.m. The spacecraft main engine is fired for about six minutes while still behind the Moon.
11:57 p.m. Armstrong and Aldrin crawl through the tunnel into the Lunar Module to give it another check. The spacecraft is now orbiting the Moon every two hours.
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.
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| | The Apollo 11 crew On this day, 40 years ago... More pictures from this day in 196916 July 196917 July 196918 July 196920 July 196921 July 196922 July 196923/24 July 1969 First 'flag' on the Moon? Interview with an Apollo ground station pioneer ESA 'birthday card' of Apollo 11 landing site Human Spaceflight Education with ESA History of Europe in space NASA Apollo 40th anniversary site
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