Merdeka.com – As is known, humans continue to develop science and technology for an increasingly advanced and better world life. That way, humans can create various kinds of useful innovations to help work and solve problems that are often encountered in everyday life.
Not only that, the development of science and technology is also carried out to answer curiosity about things that have never been known before. One example is when astronauts conduct research on other planets or satellites of the earth to find out natural conditions and the potential for life that exists.
This is like what the United States astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin, who managed to make the first landing on the moon in 1969. Of course, this became one of the important history in human life that opened other researches in outer space. No wonder, the events that happened to 20th of July this is still remembered today.
For those of you who are interested in science and the world of outer space, the history of the first human landing on the moon is very interesting to observe. It can also be an inspiration for the younger generation to develop science and technology for a better future.
The events of July 20, 1969: First Landing on the Moon
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REUTERS/Matt Sullivan
The events of July 20, 1969 are known as the history of the first human landing on the moon by American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin. On the first successful landing, Armstrong attempted to walk on the uneven lunar surface. In this moment, Armstrong said that this is a small step for humans, as well as a giant leap for mankind, because it has successfully landed in space.
Of course this became the first basis for scientists to carry out landing missions and further research. In fact, this became one of the United States’ national goals to land humans on the moon during the administration of President John F. Kennedy.
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1969 Moon Landing Timeline
As one of the important historical events, the July 20, 1969 event or the first landing on the moon went through a process that was not short. This event began with the Apollo 11 plane carrying Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins taking off from the Kennedy Space Center. In this flight mission, Armstrong became the commander who led the landing mission.
After traveling 240,000 miles in 76 hours, Apollo 11 entered lunar orbit on July 19. The next day, at 1:46 p.m., the Eagle moon module, manned by Armstrong and Aldrin, separated from the command module, where Collins was staying.
Two hours later, the Eagle began to descend to the lunar surface, and at 16:17 the plane landed on the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong immediately radioed Mission Control in Houston, Texas, a now-famous message: “The eagle has landed.”
At 22:39, five hours ahead of schedule, Armstrong opened the hatch for the lunar module. As he descended the module ladder, a television camera mounted on the plane recorded his progress and sent a signal back to Earth, where hundreds of millions of people watched with anticipation.
At 22:56, as Armstrong descended the stairs and set foot on the dusty surface of the moon, he uttered his famous quote over the microphone, “it’s one small step for a man, one big leap for mankind.”
Aldrin joined him on the lunar surface 19 minutes later, and together they took photos of the terrain, put up the US flag, ran some simple scientific tests and spoke with President Richard Nixon (1913-1994) via Houston.
At 01:11 on July 21, the two astronauts returned to the lunar module and the hatch closed. The two men slept that night on the lunar surface, and at 1:54 p.m. the Eagle began to climb back up to the command module. Among the items left on the lunar surface was a plaque that read: “Here the people of planet Earth first set foot on the moon—July 1969 CE—We come in peace for all mankind.”
At 17:35, Armstrong and Aldrin managed to dock and rejoin Collins, and at 12:56 on July 22 Apollo 11 began its return journey, landing safely in the Pacific Ocean at 12:50 on July 24.
After the events of July 20, 1969 or the first human landing on the moon, the United States planned five more landing missions. Not only that, America also made an unplanned visit to the moon. Of the several missions undertaken, the last to walk on the moon were astronauts Eugene Cernan (1934-2017) and Harrison Schmitt (1935-) from the Apollo 17 mission, leaving the lunar surface on December 14, 1972.
It should be noted, however, that the Apollo program was a labor-intensive and costly endeavor. Not only that, this program also requires various parties to be involved to help launch the mission. This involved about 400,000 engineers, technicians, and scientists, and cost $24 billion (nearly $100 billion in today’s dollars). The cost was justified by Kennedy’s mandate in 1961. The events of July 20, 1969 were none other than the ambition of the United States who wanted to defeat the Soviet Union in a human landing mission to the moon.
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