“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” - Neil Armstrong
Today, July 20, marks the 55th year of mankind’s victory as the Apollo 11 boarded by two famous names - Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin reached the surface of the moon. As they left their footmark, their steps, they know that this historic event propels humanity towards a new era.
A Brief History of Many Moons Ago…
The momentous history of moon landing isn’t just a one-day event; in a span of days, weeks, and months, careful and delicate planning was done for this to happen. On May 26, 1951, United States President John F. Kennedy announced to the public and challenged NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration to put a man on the moon. This mission was enacted as part of the “Space Race” of the USA against the formerly USSR now Russia. The USSR is the first to launch something to space - the first satellite - Sputnik I, they are also the first one to launch a man in space, but not on the moon yet.
This two-man race was ‘technically’ won by the USSR by being the first ones to actually reach space, but the U.S. eventually took the next big astronomical feat that would leave mankind stunned to this day.
Now, liftoff of the Apollo 11 starts on July 16, 1969, where thousands of people watch on the site and the Americans hurriedly listen with their radios. Although with the two well-known names of the first men who walked on the moon, there are actually three people boarded on the spacecraft. The 3rd person is Michael Collins, who remained on board the command module to serve as communication on NASA and for photographing the moon’s surface. Every Apollo lunar mission recorded has 3 astronauts where the third will remain on the spacecraft in accordance with their protocol.
With days of space travel, the Apollo 11 team is finally near the moon’s surface. The 3 crews split up with Collins on the command module and would stay in orbit. The 2 crew then boarded the lunar module, the Eagle, which will land on a moon crater called Sea of Tranquility. The first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, stepped on the surface of the moon, and uttered the greatest phrase known to mankind. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” he said. Followed by Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon.
Of course their mission is not just to leave a footprint on the moon. Carrying the two US flags, they plant it on the moon’s surface, implying that they ‘won the space race’. They also took photographs of the moon and a view that is out of this world, and they also collected 47 pounds of moon rock for research.
Finishing up, they regroup in the orbit. Apollo 11 safely returned to Earth on July 24. They remained in quarantine for 21 days just in case of possible contamination. This moment of time, they were now revered as heroes, a champion of humanity and what we can accomplish.
Today, there are already 12 people who have stepped on the moon, the last one being on December 14, 1972.
Dark Side of the Moon [Landing] - its conspiracies…
The mission is a pinnacle of humanity’s greatness and the act is an unbelievable feat. Many cheered but not all clapped, they were wary of its validity. During the midst of a Cold War, people will naturally question things.
Many conspiracies occurred as the moon photographs were released. They said that the images were fake and orchestrated by Hollywood-ish studios. The air, the shadows, people really doubted the validity of the moon landing and they don’t believe that the astronauts really landed on the moon, however these statements were easily debunked by experts and scientists.
The widespread of the moon landing conspiracies are believed to have originated from the opposing side of the Space Race - the USSR. Some experts believed that the USSR is a huge possible candidate for the disinformation as the Era of Space were really from them but the spotlight was taken by the US. Others also said that this ‘act’ is for the additional NASA funding or to distract Americans during the ongoing Vietnam War.
Eitherway, these were all debunked and the validity of the moon landing remains valid.
What does it mean for mankind?
The moon landing isn’t just a feat for humanity’s ability, this also serves as the beginning of a more technological era which we enjoy today. The signals, your WiFi, data connections, and the internet were just some of the aftermath of the innovations birthed by space exploration.
This exploration also gives us a wider perspective of where we are, the stars, the planets, and the other interstellar bodies were identified thanks to this space race. And until now, the universe and its discoveries are still expanding. What more can we see?
Making the impossible possible; who would’ve thought that we can step afoot on what’s deemed unreachable. That said, what can’t we achieve?
Sources and additional readings:
● https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/apollo-missions/apollo-11-moon-landing/apollo-11-timeline