Facts about the Moon Landing
- 12
Radioisotope thermoelectric generators powered the Apollo 11 lunar experiments for years after the 1969 mission ended, using plutonium-238 decay to generate electricity on the airless Moon.
- 11
Forty-three kilograms of moon rocks collected during Apollo 11 were distributed to 135 countries and all 50 U.S. states as diplomatic gifts and scientific specimens.
- 10
The Apollo 11 command module Columbia orbited the Moon 30 times during the 1969 mission while Michael Collins remained aboard, unable to land on the lunar surface.
- 09
Each Apollo lunar module weighed 4,700 kilograms and cost 250 million dollars, making it the most expensive single-use vehicle ever constructed for the Moon landing program.
- 08
One-sixth of Earth's gravity on the lunar surface meant Apollo 11 astronauts could jump 2 meters high despite wearing 82-kilogram spacesuits.
- 07
Buzz Aldrin's bootprints on the lunar surface in 1969 will likely remain visible for millions of years due to the Moon's lack of wind and water erosion.
- 06
In 1969, the Apollo 11 lunar module's ascent stage had only 25 seconds of fuel remaining when it lifted off from the Moon to rendezvous with Michael Collins orbiting above.
- 05
Approximately 400,000 people worked on the Apollo program, yet only 12 astronauts actually walked on the Moon between 1969 and 1972.
- 04
Aldrin's spacesuit cost approximately 100,000 dollars in 1969, making it one of the most expensive garments ever created for the Apollo 11 mission.
- 03
Astronauts left a retroreflector on the lunar surface during Apollo 11, allowing scientists to measure Earth-Moon distance to within 3 centimeters using laser ranging experiments.
- 02
Neil Armstrong's 1969 moonwalk lasted 2 hours 31 minutes, during which he traveled approximately 250 meters across the lunar surface near the Sea of Tranquility.
- 01
During the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, astronauts collected 47.5 pounds of lunar samples, with Buzz Aldrin spending 15 minutes outside the lunar module before Neil Armstrong.