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Aviation History
1969
1969 - 2543.PDF
FLIGHT International, 3/ ]uly 1969 185 The Apollo 11 mission, from the time that assembly of the spacecraft began until the take-off from the Moon's surface, was described in "Flight" last week. This second report details the journey home. PACEFLIGH APOLLO 11 COMES HOME Nell Armstrong (right) and "buzz" Aldrln stand to attention by the American flag at Tranquillity Base—the location of the Apollo 11 landing —as they listen to President Nixon's congratulatory message read from the White House and transmitted via the manned spaceflight network. THE COMMAND MODULE COLUMBIA, all that remained of the mighty Apollo 11 vehicle which soared into the bright Florida sky on July 16, re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, slowed and splashed gently into the Pacific at 1751 BST on Thursday, July 24. Apollo 11, the first manned-landing mission to the Moon, was home. The directive given by President Kennedy to Congress on May 25, 1961, was fulfilled. The confidence which America has placed in its foremost techno logical project was vindicated. As with the previous four American manned flights leading to this historic mission, Apollo 11 was astoundingly successful; virtually all the objectives were met, the TV and voice communication to the countless listening and viewing millions had been clearer than on any other space mission, and the astronauts themselves were in excellent health after their physically and emotionally exhausting week. The two really critical stages in the flight were the descent to the surface and the subsequent return to lunar orbit. Eagle took off from the Moon at 1854 BST, after a stay of 21hr 36mln, during which Armstrong had been outside the
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