Lunar Module Eagle
First crewed lunar lander to touch the Moon.
via Wikipedia: Lunar Module Eagle · see source
Lunar Module Eagle, designated LM-5, was the first crewed spacecraft to land humans on the Moon, serving as the lunar lander for the 1969 Apollo 11 mission. Its name came from the bald eagle on the mission’s official emblem. Eagle traveled from Earth to lunar orbit aboard the command module Columbia, then descended to the Moon on July 20, 1969, piloted by Neil Armstrong with Buzz Aldrin assisting navigation. The landing site was named Tranquility Base, announced by Armstrong and Aldrin at touchdown. The craft’s name inspired Armstrong’s famous words, “The Eagle has landed.”
Quick Facts
- Mission
- Apollo 11
- Class
- Apollo Lunar Module
- Named after
- Bald eagle
- Manufacturer
- Grumman
- Construction number
- LM-5
- Launch mass
- 33,294.5 lb / 15,102 kg
- Landing mass
- 16,153.2 lb / 7,327 kg
- Launched
- July 16, 1969
Facts from the source article.
Flight
Eagle launched with Command Module Columbia on July 16, 1969, atop a Saturn V launch vehicle from Launch Complex 39A, and entered Earth orbit 12 minutes later. It entered lunar orbit on July 19, 1969. On July 20, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin entered the LM and separated it from Columbia. Eagle landed at Tranquility Base at 20:17:40 UTC on July 20, 1969, with 216 lb of usable fuel remaining. After lunar surface operations, Armstrong and Aldrin returned to Eagle on July 21, 1969. At 17:54:00 UTC, they lifted off in Eagle's ascent stage to rejoin Michael Collins aboard Columbia in lunar orbit. After the crew re-boarded Columbia, the Eagle ascent stage was abandoned in lunar orbit. The location of its impact on the Moon's surface during an orbit decay is unknown. Studies of Eagle's estimated orbital trajectory have suggested that the spacecraft may still be in orbit as of 2021.
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