Lesser Seen Images From The Moon Landing
The ’60s were a tumultuous time of unprecedented change and that was true right up to the decade’s end. After a Space Race that kicked off in the late ’50s and saw a lot of early gains from the Soviet Union, the United States secured its place in space exploration with a landmark achievement in 1969.
It was so mind-boggling to witness at the time that some people still don’t believe it happened but that year saw human beings walk on the Moon for the first time in history. Although it wouldn’t be the last time that happened, the footage of the landing and Neil Armstrong’s famous words have echoed throughout history. But they weren’t the only photos taken during this all-new process.
The Man With An Unprecedented Achievement
Although it’s widely understood that late astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the Moon, what isn’t as commonly discussed are the circumstances he faced before his historic space flight. The Apollo I craft that was supposed to make it to the Moon two years earlier had burned up during a launch rehearsal test, killing astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee.
Just over three months later, he was told he would be commanding his own mission to the moon. If that worried him, he didn’t show it.
A Very Accomplished Permanent Crew Member
Once Armstrong was chosen as commander of the Apollo 11 astronauts, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin was assigned to the mission as well. Aldrin was originally rejected for astronaut training because he wasn’t a military test pilot, but became eligible once the rules were changed to admit candidates with at least 1,000 hours of flight time as a jet pilot.
Since Aldrin had logged over 2,000 hours, he he was able to bring his expertise in orbital mechanics to the mission. He was also the first astronaut to have earned a doctorate, which earned him the nickname “Dr. Rendezvous.”
The Uncertain Third Astronaut
Although Michael Collins would end up as the third member of the famous trio who flew to the Moon, it wasn’t always clear that he would be able to perform his part of the mission due to a bony growth impeding the use of his legs.
Before he underwent surgery and recovered sufficiently to be cleared for the flight, another astronaut named Jim Lovell — who had distinguished himself by orbiting the Moon — was prepared to take his place. However, Collins was well enough to join Armstrong and Aldrin.
Training Was Grueling, Thorough, And Necessary
Since nobody had ever accomplished what Armstrong and his fellow astronauts were about to attempt, it took months of training before any of them were ready to go to the Moon.
In this photo from January 1, 1969, Armstrong was practicing descending from the lunar lander stairs at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. On July 20 of that year, he would do it for real.
Not Quite On The Moon Yet
Although Armstrong looks like his mission has begun here, this photo is actually capturing a training exercise. This one — conducted at what is now the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas — was intended to familiarize him with the equipment he’d be using on the Moon.
That included the space suit and a model of the lunar lander, but also the scientific equipment he and Aldrin would use to measure properties of the Moon, including its seismic and atmospheric conditions.
Getting Used To Working Closely Together
While learning to deal with the mechanical and logistical challenges all three of these men would face on their way to the Moon was certainly important, NASA hadn’t forgotten to show the three astronauts how cramped their conditions would be.
As this photo demonstrates, there wasn’t a lot of room in their command module, so the trio conducted a fitness and functionality check of the module’s crew compartment. In particular, this was to familiarize themselves with the equipment and storage locations.
The Long-Awaited Launch Takes Place
Although both the Astronauts in the rocket and the people at Mission Control had every reason to be nervous when this Saturn V rocket launched the Apollo 11 module, this photo captured its success.
The photographer’s framing of the American flag in the launch’s foreground tapped into a keen instinct but it’s also fascinating to see how rocket designs at the time incorporated a bulging dome between its stages.
The Pre-Flight View Of Mission Control
The man standing in the foreground of this shot from the Kennedy Space Flight Center control room is Lieutenant General Samuel C. Phillips, who was the program director of the Apollo mission.
Here, we can see him overseeing the pre-flight activities behind the Apollo 11 launch. This photo also makes it clear both how vast and busy a room like this truly is.
They Had Never Seen It This Close Up Before
Although photos of Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon have been widely shared for decades, this photo captures what the lunar surface looked like from their perspective as they made their approach.
The Apollo 11 landing site is referred to as the Sea of Tranquility but this photo makes it clear how misleading of a name that is. After all, its surface consists of the crater-marked rock most people would expect.
The View From The Command Module
As many people know, not everyone who flew the Apollo 11 mission was able to touch down on the lunar surface, as Collins had to remain behind to pilot the command module and ensure his fellow astronauts could make it back to Earth.
While he was there, however, he took this photo of the Eagle lunar lander as it began its descent to the Moon’s surface. It’s certainly dazzling to see it still in orbit.
The View From The Lunar Module
While Collins piloted the command module that stayed in the Moon’s orbit as Aldrin and Armstrong began their phase of the mission, Aldrin piloted the Eagle lunar lander.
This meant that when Collins took a photo of the descending lunar lander, one of the astronauts aboard it (likely Armstrong), captured the view of the command module from the descending Eagle. Far fewer people would be likely to recognize it than the Eagle.
Surprisingly Permanent Evidence Of Our Presence
This photo is significant for being the first ever footprint that a human being left on the Moon. As most might expect, Armstrong left this behind during his first steps on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969.
Most poignantly, there’s a good chance that this footprint is still there and looking a lot like it did when he landed. That’s because the Moon barely has any atmosphere, which makes the subtle atmospheric influences observed on Earth all but non-applicable there.
Only One Person Could Have Taken This Photo
Soon after Armstrong stepped onto the Moon, Aldrin followed him with a similar descent down the Eagle lander’s ladder. Since climbing one of those in a space suit while experiencing lower gravity is a hard challenge to prepare for, that training would certainly needed.
As Aldrin conducted his careful descent, it was clear that Armstrong had time to line up his camera and snap the very photo we see here.
A Rare Photo Of Them On The Moon Together
Considering that both astronauts had more to do on the Moon’s surface than take pictures and additionally considering that one of them typically had to operate the camera during photo opportunities, it was rare to get a picture of Aldrin and Armstrong on the Moon together.
However, it was still possible because cameras with internal timers had existed as early as 1956. Thus, it’s likely one of them set a timer to capture this photo of the astronauts setting up the American flag.
A Dark Photo That Still Shows A Lot
This photo shows Aldrin standing next to the flag in fairly low light, which casts a haunting atmosphere over his lunar adventures with Armstrong.
However, this photo is also great for showing the sheer number of footprints that the two astronauts left during their time on the Moon. Not only are many of those imprints likely still there but so too are the ones left by others from throughout the world who followed them up there.
They Did More Than Walk Around
While beating the Soviets to the Moon was a significant motivation for the Apollo 11 mission, it wasn’t the only one. Armstrong and Aldrin were also on the Moon to conduct research on its conditions that could be measured from the surface.
Although American astronauts would take five further trips to the Moon between 1969 and 1972 for similar research purposes, Armstrong and Aldrin’s research gave these future missions an idea of what to look for.
Aldrin Sets Up The Scientific Package
Aldrin was seen carrying two large packages as part of the preparation for his research with Armstrong, and that equipment was called the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package.
Although some of its instruments will be seen in other photos, this fascinating gadget with the solar panels was called the Passive Seismic Experiment Package. For the first time, American scientists were about to get some hard-earned raw data about the Moon’s seismic activity. By the way, there are such a thing as moonquakes.
Armstrong Photographs Aldrin Setting Up More Equipment
After setting up the Passive Seismic Experiment Package, Aldrin also set up an instrument to check the conditions above the Moon’s surface.
Although it looked a little less fancy than the seismic monitor, that doesn’t mean that its job was any less important. This was a solar wind collector that informed them of the Moon’s atmospheric conditions. While it isn’t true that the Moon has no atmosphere as scientists at the time were led to believe, that would take further technological advancements to figure out.
A Keepsake The Astronauts Meant To Leave
While it’s true that the footprints Aldrin and Armstrong left behind were evidence of their presence and the American flag was intentionally left behind to mark the nation’s achievement, this stainless steel plaque was the most direct message to anyone else who showed up.
In the event that any friendly extraterrestrials showed up, NASA and the United States wanted to explain what they achieved and emphasize that their mission was a peaceful endeavor that represented humanity’s capabilities. The three astronauts and then-president Richard Nixon autographed the plaque.
Celebrating A Safe Return From A Successful Mission
While the three astronauts conducted their mission, everyone from Mission Control to their families to the men themselves was well aware of the strong possibility that they wouldn’t make it back to Earth. Since the mission hadn’t been done before, anything could have gone wrong.
So while it would be natural to celebrate so joyfully after touching down from a delicate space mission at the best of times, the relief behind their elation here cannot be overstated.
