Facts about Lunar Module Eagle
- 08
At 102 inches tall and 14 feet wide, the Lunar Module Eagle's crew compartment featured gold-coated insulation and an aluminum hull just 0.1 inches thick to minimize weight during the Apollo 11 mission.
- 07
Only 239 hours of oxygen remained in the Lunar Module Eagle's life support system before the astronauts would have faced critical carbon dioxide levels during their July 1969 mission.
- 06
Approximately 1,200 pounds of moon rocks and soil samples were collected by Armstrong and Aldrin and stored in the Lunar Module Eagle's ascent stage for the return journey to Earth.
- 05
Lunar Module Eagle's forward window measured only 32 inches wide by 28 inches tall, forcing Neil Armstrong to peer through it at an oblique angle while searching for a safe landing site on July 20, 1969.
- 04
Eagle's descent engine could not be jettisoned after landing, forcing Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong to carry its 10,300-pound weight during their ascent back to lunar orbit.
- 03
In 1962, NASA engineers designed the Lunar Module Eagle's cabin to accommodate only two astronauts in a space smaller than a car, measuring roughly 235 cubic feet of pressurized volume.
- 02
The Lunar Module Eagle's ascent stage weighed 4,700 pounds and had to reach lunar orbit to rendezvous with Michael Collins in the Command Module on July 21, 1969.
- 01
During its descent on July 20, 1969, the Lunar Module Eagle used approximately 25 seconds of fuel remaining when Neil Armstrong landed it in the Sea of Tranquility.