Launch Day

The words

1. Apollo Eleven

   Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins launched on Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969. It was the first crewed lunar landing mission, with Collins remaining in orbit while Armstrong and Aldrin landed.

   NASA: Apollo 11’s launch (opens a new tab)

2. Countdown

   Apollo 11’s crew settled into Columbia for the final countdown while ground teams completed their checks. NASA’s mission history describes these last two hours as trouble-free.

   NASA: Apollo 11’s launch morning (opens a new tab)

3. Cronkite

   Walter Cronkite covered space launches for CBS. Before Apollo 11 flew, he represented television networks at the crew’s final prelaunch press interview, held by television link.

   Did you know?

   NASA’s 1970 history described studio trailers at the launch site. From them, network commentators sent viewers their accounts of what was happening.

   Kennedy Space Center Story, pp. 127, 211 · NASA: Kennedy’s launch and press history (opens a new tab)

4. Escape Tower

   The launch escape tower carried rockets that could pull the command module away during an aborted launch. Apollo 11 discarded it normally during the climb.

   NASA press kit: launch escape system (opens a new tab) · NASA report: Apollo 11’s ascent (opens a new tab)

5. Firing Room

   Engineers in Kennedy’s Firing Room 1 managed the launch countdown. Once the rocket cleared the launch tower, control of the flight passed to Mission Control in Houston.

   NASA: Apollo 11’s launch morning (opens a new tab)

6. Guenter Wendt

   Guenter Wendt led the pad team at the White Room. The team helped Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin enter their spacecraft and take their assigned places before launch.

   NASA: Wendt and the White Room (opens a new tab) · NASA: Kennedy’s launch and press history (opens a new tab)

7. JoAnn Morgan

   JoAnn Morgan was Apollo 11’s instrumentation controller and the only woman in the firing room at liftoff. Earlier missions had not allowed her to remain there through launch.

   Did you know?

   Morgan planned to celebrate the launch with a boat trip to Captiva Island. Her new daytime shift also meant more time with her husband, a schoolteacher.

   NASA: JoAnn Morgan at the launch console (opens a new tab)

8. Liftoff

   Saturn V lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A at 9:32 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins rode aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft.

   NASA: Apollo 11’s launch (opens a new tab)

9. Max Q

   Short for maximum dynamic pressure.

   As Saturn V accelerated through thinning air, it passed the greatest aerodynamic pressure of ascent. Apollo 11’s mission report recorded structural loads below established limits.

   NASA Glenn: maximum dynamic pressure (opens a new tab) · NASA report: Apollo 11’s ascent (opens a new tab)

10. Rocco Petrone

    Rocco Petrone was Kennedy Space Center’s director of Launch Operations. He oversaw preflight tests and launch preparations, and personally directed Apollo 11’s launch.

    NASA: Rocco Petrone’s launch leadership (opens a new tab)

11. Roll Program

    A planned rotation around the rocket’s long axis.

    Saturn V’s roll maneuver lined the rocket up with its planned flight direction. Apollo 11’s crew reported that the roll, pitch and yaw guidance sequences worked normally.

    NASA mission report, pp. 15, 177 · NASA report: Apollo 11’s ascent (opens a new tab)

12. Spectators

    NASA’s 2019 history estimated that one million people gathered on central Florida beaches to watch Apollo 11 launch. Many more followed the event live on television.

    NASA: Apollo 11’s launch morning (opens a new tab)

13. Spiro Agnew

    Vice President Spiro Agnew attended the Apollo 11 launch. He sat in the official viewing area with other guests, including former President Lyndon Johnson and Mrs. Johnson.

    Kennedy Space Center Story, p. 128 · NASA: Kennedy’s launch and press history (opens a new tab)

14. Steak and Eggs

    Apollo 11’s astronauts ate steak and scrambled eggs before they put on their spacesuits. Their launch-morning breakfast also included orange juice, toast and coffee.

    Kennedy Space Center Story, p. 127 · NASA: Kennedy’s launch and press history (opens a new tab)

15. White Room

    The White Room was a sheltered boarding area beside Columbia’s hatch. Pad workers used it to help the astronauts into their seats and prepare the spacecraft for launch.

    Did you know?

    Armstrong took the left couch, Collins the right, and Aldrin the middle. They entered in that order before launch.

    NASA: Apollo 11’s launch morning (opens a new tab) · NASA: Wendt and the White Room (opens a new tab)