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11 Things to Know about Apollo 11

It was a space race

The United States and the Soviet Union were each trying to get to the moon first. The Soviet Union started off strong by putting the first satellite into orbit and the first person into space. America worked hard to catch up and on July 20, 1969 Armstrong and Aldrinlanded on the moon.

Mighty rockets

When the U.S. decided to go to the moon, no country had a rocket powerful enough to break Earth's orbit. As the Soviet Union and U.S. raced to see who would be first, they both developed heavy-lift rockets. The United States made the Saturn V. It is the only rocket to send people to the moon and used 11 rocket engines to get there.

600 million people watched the Apollo 11 landing

Only 202 million people living in the United States in 1969. Apollo 11 was a U.S. mission, but the world was watching.

The "one small step" wasn't small

Armstrong landed the Lunar Landing Module on the moon so softly that the legs didn't compress as they were capable of in the case of a hard landing. The longer legs meant that he had to jump 3.5 feet from the bottom of the ladder to the moon's surface.

Apollo 11's famous flag cost $5

The flag planted by Apollo 11 had several design challenges. It had to be easy to set up, it had to appear to "wave" and it had to take up very little storage space during flight. NASA bought a flag for $5.51 at a local store and put it on a collapsible L-shaped frame.

21 hours on the moon

Armstrong and Aldrin were not only the first people to walk on the moon, but were also the first to eat and sleep on the moon.

Toilets on the moon

Armstrong and Aldrin stayed in their spacesuits for hours while they were on the moon. The only bathroom they had was built into their suits.

Saved by a pen

The circuit breaker to start the Lunar Landing Module's engines broke during the mission. While NASA was working on a way to getaround the broken switch, Aldrin tried to activate it with his pen cap. It worked, and Apollo 11 made it home safely!

Plaque on the moon

Armstrong and Aldrin left a plaque on the moon. It reads, "HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH FIRST SET FOOT UPON THE MOON JULY 1969, A.D. WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND" This plaque was another example of how the mission became more than just a U.S. achievement.

Astronauts in quarantine

People were concerned that the moon might have a deadly virus. To protect the world from any possible contamination, the Apollo 11 crew was kept isolated for 3 weeks after they returned home.

The moon smells

When Armstrong and Aldrin were able to take off their helmets after their walk on the moon, they realized something - the moon dust they had brought in with them smelled. Armstrong thought it smelled like wet ashes in a fireplace. Aldrin said it smelled like gunpowder.