Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 Experience

Essay by alpinestarridr4High School, 12th gradeB+, February 2010

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On July 20, 1969, the world witnessed the first man step foot on the moon. Apollo 11 crew members: Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins became the first crew to land on the moon. Six and half hours after landing, Neil Armstrong placed a TV camera on the Lunar Module and an estimated five hundred million people watched Neil Armstrong, broadcasted over television, take the first steps on the moon (Darling, David).

Neil Armstrong transferred to astronaut status in 1962 and moved to El Lago, Texas, near Houston's Manned Spacecraft Center, to begin his astronaut training (Hansen, James R.). There he underwent four years of intensive training for the Apollo program, which was created to land an American on the Moon before the end of the decade. On March 16, 1966, Armstrong flew his first space mission as command pilot of Gemini 8 with David Scott (Hansen, James R.).

During that mission Armstrong piloted the Gemini 8 spacecraft to a successful docking with an Agena target spacecraft already in orbit. While the docking went smoothly and the two craft orbited together, they began to pitch and roll wildly. Armstrong was able to undock the Gemini and used the retro rockets to regain control of his craft, but the astronauts had to make an emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean. Neil Armstrong was chosen as commander for his next mission.

Apollo 11 would be the first ever lunar landing mission launched and Armstrong was to become the first man to walk on the moon. After accepting the position of Apollo 11 commander along with “Buzz” Aldrin as Lunar Module Pilot and Michael Collins as Command Module Pilot the launch of Apollo 11 was set for July 16, 1969. On the date of...