This Saturday (20), the mission Apollo 11 celebrates 55 years since the landing on the Moon that made it possible for humans to walk there for the first time — a fact that shaped the history of our civilization. Neil Armstrong was the first astronaut to exit the Apollo 11 mission capsule, followed by Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin; thus, the Americans were considered winners of the space race against the Soviet Union.
This happened during a long and costly process, so much so that NASA took eight years to complete the goal of establishing a presence on lunar soil. Originally, former president John F. Kennedy announced the plan to land on the Moon during a famous speech in 1961, but the moment only came to fruition in 1969 — Kennedy was assassinated before that and was unable to witness the historic moment.
Both before and after, several events occurred that made history possible as we know it. In total, 12 astronauts were able to experience walking on the Moon. However, the Apollo mission was canceled in 1972 and, for more than 50 years, we have not returned to the natural satellite.
NASA (United States space agency) has already planned a return to the surface of the Moon in 2026, during the Artemis III mission. In fact, the North American space agency intends to build a lunar base to provide better exploration. China also plans to establish a presence on the satellite through the mission Chang’e-6.
“Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying commander Neil Armstrong, command module pilot Michael Collins, and lunar module pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin into an initial Earth orbit of 114 by 116 miles. An estimated 650 million people watched the television image of Armstrong and heard him describe the event as he took “one small step for a man, one giant leap for humanity,” NASA describes.
The truth about the Apollo missions and going to the Moon
The Apollo program began in 1960 with the aim of sending the first human being to the surface of the Moon. Before the success achieved by Apollo 11, there were several tests and experimental manned flights that made the first lunar walk possible.
Four other manned flights preceded the famous event in 1969: the first was Apollo 7, during a test in Earth orbit; followed by Apollo 8, in which astronauts orbited the Moon for the first time; by Apollo 9, the lunar module was complete and tested in Earth orbit; on Apollo 10, astronauts simulated a lunar landing. All of these missions were essential to validate the technology that allowed the first landing on the satellite.
In addition to Armstrong and Aldrin, astronaut Michael Collins also participated in the classic mission, but he did not walk on the Moon. Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command module while his companions walked on the surface of the satellite.
The spacecraft landed (made a lunar landing) in the region known as Sea of Tranquility (Mare Tranquillitatis). Just three days later, they successfully returned to Earth.
Ten more astronauts were sent to the surface of the Moon on the Apollo 12, Apollo 14, Apollo 15, Apollo 16 and Apollo 17. Only Apollo 13 failed to complete the objective, as a disaster occurred on the ship that forced the astronauts to return to Earth as quickly as possible — they almost died during the return trip.
Twelve astronauts set foot on the Moon
Meet the astronauts who walked on the lunar surface:
- Apollo 11 – Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin;
- Apollo 12 – Pete Conrad and Alan Bean;
- Apollo 14 – Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell;
- Apollo 15 – David Scott and James Irwin;
- Apollo 16 – John Young and Charles Duke;
- Apollo 17 – Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt.
National Observatory astrophysicist Ricardo Ogando tells CNN that the space race and the achievements of the Apollo program allowed science to reach another level. It was the advancement of that time that led to the development of current space instruments, which allow astronomical observations of other planets in the world. Solar system and other cosmic objects in the universe.
Despite enabling the first walk on the Moon, the Apollo 11 mission was not the first to land on the lunar surface. According to Ogando, the first successful unmanned mission to land on the Moon was Luna 2, sent by the Russians in September 1959. However, it collided with the surface.
Myths about the first moon landing
After the announcement of the first lunar landing, several conspiracy theories emerged and claimed that humanity had not actually set foot on the Moon, suggesting that it was all an elaborate hoax for the United States to win the space race. To try to validate their arguments, conspiracists created several untruths — some even ended up becoming part of pop culture.
One hypothesis suggests that the moon landing was filmed in a film studio, where renowned director Stanley Kubrick was responsible for directing the work.
Discover some lies about the first lunar walk:
- In an image photographed by Neil Armstrong, conspiracists claim that the shadows seen in the photo could only be produced by artificial lighting. However, scientists have already explained that the effect is common and can even be reproduced on Earth.
- After analyzing images of the American flag embedded in the lunar surface, conspiracy theorists suggest that the wind caused a unique movement in the fabric, something that would be impossible on the Moon. Experts explain that the structure of the flag was developed to remain in that position , which is why it appears to move.
- Another myth claims that astronauts could not have survived the Van Allen Belt, a radiation field that was supposed to have killed them. This is also not true, as they crossed the region so quickly that they considerably minimized the impact of radiation.
There are also several other myths that suggest the falsehood of the trip to the Moon, but the scientific community has been refuting such claims with arguments.
“Discussing whether humanity went to the Moon is like discussing the shape of the Earth, something meaningless. There is no evidence that things are any different than they are. Arguments are always fragile. The concrete fact is that we have a society highly dependent on technology, using satellites placed by rockets in orbit around a spherical Earth. Therefore, it is striking that a small portion of the population thinks the world is different from that”, says Ogando.
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