The Story of Apollo 11 and the First Men on the Moon: the Moon Landing for Kids - FreeSchool

You're watching Free School! Mission control: It's 15 seconds, the guidance is internal. 12, 11, 10, 9, start of ignition sequence... 6... 5...4... 3... 2... 1... zero. All engines running. We have takeoff! Apollo 11 takes off! Astronauts: Four forward, moving a little to the right. 30 seconds. Contact light. Okay, stop the engine. Tranquility base here. The eagle has landed. Mission Control: Roger, don't worry, we'll copy you on the ground. You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue, we're breathing again. Newscaster: Armstrong is on the

moon

. Neil Armstrong, 38-year-old American, standing on the surface of the

moon

, this July 20, 1969. Armstrong: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for humanity.

Aldrin: Oh, that looks beautiful from here, Neil. Armstrong: It's absolutely beautiful, it's like much of the high desert in the United States, it's different but it's very beautiful here. Aldrin: Beautiful view. Armstrong: Isn't that something extraordinary? Magnificent view here. Magnificent desolation. Mission Control: Tranquility Base, Houston. The guidance recommendation is and you are authorized to take off. Roger, understand. We are number one on the track. Seven, six, five, engine running. Beautiful! Very soft! Very calm walk. Apollo 11, Apollo 11, this is Hornet, Hornet, over. Apollo Apollo plots our position, one three three zero. I believe this nation should commit to achieving the goal, before the end of this decade, of

landing

a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.

Narrator: The flight of Apollo 11 was the culmination of many years of planning, work, construction, and testing. Thousands of people had contributed to this day of achievements. The large Saturn V rocket and the complex Apollo spacecraft had been assembled and moved to the launch pad. The equipment, techniques and personnel had been tested on previous missions and were now ready. The astronauts chosen for this mission had flown it many times in ground simulators. They had all been in space before. They had trained well and carefully. And now they were ready too. Astronaut Michael Collins would pilot the Apollo command module.

Astronaut Edwin Aldrin Jr. would pilot the Lunar Module. And astronaut Neil Armstrong would serve as mission commander. Armstrong would be the

first

man to walk on the moon. Mission control: Six, five, four, three, two, one, zero, all engines running. Take off! We have takeoff! 32 minutes past the hour, Apollo 11 takes off. Tower clear! Narrator: Three hours later, the Apollo command module moves forward to extract the lunar module from the launch vehicle's third stage. Both move at more than 17,000 miles per hour. Docked together, they will sail a quarter-million miles across the sea of ​​space and enter orbit around Earth's nearest neighbor.

During the three-day trip to the moon, the astronauts stayed busy. Checklists, navigation and observation, cleaning. They must work in a weightless environment, keeping themselves and their spacecraft in good condition. Data must be collected and reported. Experiments must be performed, including photography both inside and outside the spacecraft. Due to the speed of the film, these actions appear faster than they actually were. July 19. Apollo 11 decelerates and enters orbit around the moon. Earth's bright blue planet is now 238,000 miles beyond the lunar horizon. Astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin, now in the lunar module, separate from the command module. Astronaut Collins stays behind.

Now preparations begin for the descent of the lunar module to the Moon. The command module takes on the new name, 'Columbia'. The lunar module will be called "Eagle." The lunar module's four

landing

pads are fully extended and locked in place. The Eagle is prepared and prepared for its descent to the lunar surface. The landing craft's rocket engine fires to slow it down and put it on the path to the landing site in the Sea of ​​Tranquility. There is tension and caution as the Eagle flies lower. The warning lights flash as the computer attempts to keep up with the demand for control data, but the status remains: "Go." Astronauts: 60 seconds.

Light on. Down two and a half. Forward. Forward. feet down, two and a half. Collecting some dust. Four ahead, four ahead, veering a little to the right. Contact light? Well. Engine stop. Mission Control: We copy you, Eagle. Astronauts: This is Tranquility Base, the Eagle has landed. Narrator: Through the Eagle's window, Armstrong and Aldrin see what no human eye has seen before. Their spaceship casts a long shadow across the untouched dust of centuries. Seven hours after landing, after careful preparations for subsequent ascent were completed, Armstrong opens the Eagle's hatch and begins his descent to the surface. The

first

steps in this strange new world must be taken with caution.

The moon has only 1/6 the gravity of Earth. The nature of its surface was still unknown. Armstrong: Okay, I'll get off the LM now. It is one small step for man, one giant leap for humanity. Narrator: Once on the surface, Armstrong collects a small sample of lunar dust and rock, as a precaution against the possibility of an emergency takeoff. As planned, astronaut Aldrin now descends from the Eagle. He and his team would weigh 383 pounds. on Earth, here, they weigh about 66 pounds. For a brief moment, the first men on the moon stand and contemplate the desolate and lonely landscape around them, an experience that no one before them can share.

But there is much to do in the limited time they can remain on this airless, cloudless satellite of Earth. This metal sheet traps and retains particles from the sun, the so-called "solar wind", or barrage of solar energy that constantly hits the surface of the moon. The results of this experiment will be taken to Earth to reveal new secrets to eager scientists. An American flag remains on the moon, along with medals honoring American and Soviet astronauts who lost their lives in previous space tests, and a small disk carrying goodwill messages from 73 nations on Earth. A plaque on the lunar module reads: "Here men from planet Earth first set foot on the moon.

July 1969 AD. We came in peace, for all humanity." Through a specially designed television camera, viewers in many nations on Earth were able to observe the astronauts as they walked and worked on the Moon. Despite bulky spacesuits and backpacks containing oxygen, temperature control, and communications equipment, the Apollo 11 crew found they could easily move around the surface. Since there is no wind or rain on the Moon, these footprints will remain for centuries. After two hours and 31 minutes, the first lunar explorers completed their research on the Moon. A night of rest in the lunar module, preparations for the countdown and they were ready to return home.

July 21. The Eagle and its two-man crew lifted off perfectly from the moon and slowly ascended to rendezvous and dock with the mother ship, the Columbia. While Armstrong and Aldrin explored the moon, astronaut Collins had kept a long, solitary vigil on the Columbia. The sight of the approaching Eagle was welcome. Once again, the bright blue planet of Earth rises above the lunar horizon. To those who had witnessed man's landing on the Sea of ​​Tranquility, the moon would never look the same again. July 24. Sunrise in the Pacific. Apollo takes to the skies and returns to Earth at 40,000 kilometers per hour.

President Richard Nixon, who had spoken by telephone with the astronauts while they were on the Moon, was waiting aboard the recovery aircraft carrier to welcome the returning travelers. The rock and soil samples brought back would be examined and analyzed by scientists from many countries. They would reveal new knowledge about the origin, age and composition of the moon. And, perhaps, also new knowledge about the Earth. Experiments on the moon were already sending back revealing new information. The mission was completed successfully. The Eagle had taken the first men to the moon and the Columbia had returned them safely to Earth.

Wherever man travels tomorrow, across the ocean of our universe, hi

story

will remind him that Apollo 11 was humanity's first encounter with a new world.