On July 20, 1969, American NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon. Their mission, known as Apollo 11, was a historic achievement that captured the imagination of the world. But did you know these 6 fascinating facts about the mission?
#1: Moon dirt has an odor (but only on the moon?)
Moon dirt is very clingy and hard to brush off, so it’s no surprise that some of it ended up on Neil and Buzz’s space suits. When they returned to their lunar module after exploring the moon’s surface, they accidentally brought some moon dirt into the cabin with them. Inside the cabin, the moon dirt began to emit an odor!
The astronauts reported that it smelled burned, like wet fireplace ashes or the air after a fireworks show. But scientists never got the chance to investigate what the crew was smelling. Although moon soil and rock samples were sent to labs in sealed containers, once they were opened back on Earth, the smell was gone!
#2: Astronauts trained for microgravity by walking on walls
When the first moon simulations were designed, no one had ever been to the moon. NASA scientists had to guess what conditions would be on the lunar surface! Neil and Buzz practiced collecting lunar samples in indoor model moonscapes built by NASA. They also rehearsed taking off and landing their Lunar Module by running simulations in the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle in Houston.
One particularly unusual training practice was designed to simulate walking in the moon’s low gravity. In this simulation, astronauts were suspended sideways by straps and had to walk along a tilted wall! For another exercise, NASA teamed up with the U.S. Geological Survey to blast out craters at Cinder Lake, Arizona to mimic the topography of the moon’s surface. Practice makes perfect!
#3: Buzz Aldrin took holy communion on the moon
When their lunar module landed on the moon, Neil and Buzz were required to wait inside the lunar module for several hours before venturing outside. As he was waiting, Buzz took lunar communion! This made him the first person to consume food and drink on the moon, the first person to perform a Christian ritual on the moon, and the first person to read scripture on the moon. He was an elder at Webster Presbyterian Church and had been granted special permission by NASA and the church to take communion in space. His communion ceremony was certainly unique!
#4: NASA designed a special flag to plant on the moon
In still pictures from the Apollo 11 mission, the flag that Neil and Buzz planted on the moon appears to be flapping in the wind. But videos of the Apollo 11 exploration show the flag moving only when the astronauts touch it. That’s because there’s no wind on the moon, which means it’s impossible for a flag to flap at all - it could only hang lifelessly from the pole!
A slack flag isn’t very photogenic, so NASA designed a special flag with an adjustable rod inside that would keep the flag perpendicular to the flagpole. But the astronauts had trouble fully extending the rod once they were on the moon, so the flag’s fabric ended up looking rippled, like it was waving in the wind. I’d call that a happy accident!
#5: Scientists were worried about moon germs
Since humans had never been to the moon before, NASA scientists were concerned that a space-borne virus could hitch a ride on the astronauts. To keep Neil, Buzz, and third crew member Michael Collins from accidentally infecting the world with a moon disease, NASA had them quarantined for a total of 16 days once they made it back to Earth. I guess it worked - no one came down with a lunar fever!
#6: The Soviets tried to keep their moon exploration efforts secret
While the American public often heard news of the U.S. government’s progress in the Space Race against the Soviet Union, citizens of Russia didn’t get any updates on their nation’s operations. In fact, the Soviet Union kept the entire project secret as much as possible, and news about their activities was largely obtained by U.S. surveillance rather than from Russian leaders themselves!
At first, the Soviets chose to keep the project secret to keep information about their tactics from reaching America. Later, when the United States landed on the moon first, the Soviet Union tried to save face by officially stating they had never tried to get to the moon first. Their claim held up until 1989, when a group of American aerospace engineers went to Moscow and saw the Soviets’ failed lunar-landing craft, proving they had tried to reach the moon first. Awkward!
These incredible facts about the Apollo 11 mission in mind, made me appreciate the moon’s mystique even more. It’s time to grab my telescope and look up! 👓