Editing Apollo 11 (section)

== Mission ==
=== Launch and flight to lunar orbit ===

[[File:Apollo 11 Launch - GPN-2000-000630.jpg|alt=|thumb|The Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle lifts off with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. at 9:32&nbsp;am. EDT July 16, 1969, from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A.]]

An estimated one million spectators watched the launch of Apollo 11 from the highways and beaches in the vicinity of the launch site. Dignitaries included the [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army]], [[General (United States)|General]] [[William Westmoreland]], four [[Cabinet of the United States|cabinet members]], 19 [[Governor (United States)|state governors]], 40 [[Mayoralty in the United States|mayors]], 60 ambassadors and 200 [[congressmen]]. Vice President [[Spiro Agnew]] viewed the launch with former president [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] and his wife [[Lady Bird Johnson]].{{sfn|Benson|Faherty|1978|p=474}}{{sfn|Bilstein|1980|pp=369–370}} Around 3,500 media representatives were present.{{sfn|Brooks|Grimwood|Swenson|1979|p=338}} About two-thirds were from the United States; the rest came from 55 other countries. The launch was televised live in 33 countries, with an estimated 25&nbsp;million viewers in the United States alone. Millions more around the world listened to radio broadcasts.{{sfn|Bilstein|1980|pp=369–370}}{{sfn|Benson|Faherty|1978|p=474}} President [[Richard Nixon]] viewed the launch from his office in the [[White House]] with his NASA liaison officer, Apollo astronaut [[Frank Borman]].<ref>{{cite web |title=President Richard Nixon's Daily Diary |url=https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/virtuallibrary/documents/PDD/1969/013%20July%2016-31%201969.pdf |publisher=Richard Nixon Presidential Library |access-date=September 3, 2018 |page=2 |date=July 16, 1969 |archive-date=January 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104030153/https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/virtuallibrary/documents/PDD/1969/013%20July%2016-31%201969.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Lodging near Cape Canaveral was reported as being booked months ahead in advance for the launch by a Florida newspaper.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cook |first=Jan |date=July 4, 1969 |title=Apollo 11-Launch To Draw 1-Million |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QlVQAAAAIBAJ&dq=Apollo+launch+Florida&pg=PA2&article_id=7068,896931 |access-date=February 5, 2025 |work=[[St. Petersburg Independent]] |pages=3A |via=Google News Archive}}</ref>

Saturn V AS-506 launched Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969, at 13:32:00 [[UTC]] (9:32:00 [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]).<ref name="Mission Overview" /> At 13.2 seconds into the flight, the launch vehicle began to [[Roll program|roll]] into its [[flight azimuth]] of 72.058°. Full shutdown of the first-stage engines occurred about 2&nbsp;minutes and 42 seconds into the mission, followed by separation of the S-IC and ignition of the S-II engines. The second stage engines then cut off and separated at about 9&nbsp;minutes and 8&nbsp;seconds, allowing the first ignition of the S-IVB engine a few seconds later.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=106}}

Apollo 11 entered a [[elliptic orbit|near-circular Earth orbit]] at an altitude of {{convert|100.4|nmi|km}} by {{convert|98.9|nmi|km}}, twelve minutes into its flight. After one and a half orbits, a second ignition of the S-IVB engine pushed the spacecraft onto its trajectory toward the Moon with the [[trans-lunar injection]] (TLI) burn at 16:22:13 UTC. About 30 minutes later, with Collins in the left seat and at the controls, the [[transposition, docking, and extraction]] maneuver was performed. This involved separating ''Columbia'' from the spent S-IVB stage, turning around, and docking with ''Eagle'' still attached to the stage. After the LM was extracted, the combined spacecraft headed for the Moon, while the rocket stage flew on a trajectory past the Moon.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=374–375}}{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=106}} This was done to avoid the third stage colliding with the spacecraft, the Earth, or the Moon. A [[Gravity assist|slingshot effect]] from passing around the Moon threw it into an [[heliocentric orbit|orbit around the Sun]].{{sfn|Marshall Space Flight Center|1969|p=7}}

On July 19 at 17:21:50 UTC, Apollo 11 passed behind the Moon and fired its service propulsion engine to enter [[lunar orbit]].{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=106}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap11fj/11day4-loi1.html|title=Day 4, part 1: Entering Lunar Orbit|publisher=Apollo Flight Journal|date=February 10, 2017|access-date=July 14, 2019|last1=Woods|first1=W. David|last2=MacTaggart|first2=Kenneth D.|last3=O'Brien|first3=Frank|via=NASA|archive-date=February 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227062352/https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap11fj/11day4-loi1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the thirty orbits that followed, the crew saw passing views of their landing site in the southern Sea of Tranquility about {{convert|12|mi|km}} southwest of the crater [[Collins (crater)|Sabine D]]. The site was selected in part because it had been characterized as relatively flat and smooth by the automated [[Ranger 8]] and [[Surveyor 5]] landers and the Lunar Orbiter mapping spacecraft, and because it was unlikely to present major landing or EVA challenges.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/A11_PressKit.pdf |title=Apollo 11 Lunar Landing Mission |date=July 6, 1969 |publisher=NASA |location=Washington, D.C. |type=Press kit |id=Release No: 69-83K |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=August 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811082927/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/A11_PressKit.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> It lay about {{convert|25|km|sp=us}} southeast of the Surveyor&nbsp;5 landing site, and {{convert|68|km|sp=us}} southwest of Ranger&nbsp;8's crash site.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|p=130}}

=== Lunar descent ===

[[File:Apollo 11 CSM photographed from Lunar Module (AS11-37-5445).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|[[Command module Columbia|''Columbia'']] in lunar orbit, photographed from [[Lunar Module Eagle|''Eagle'']]|alt=The top of the silvery command module is seen over a grey, cratered lunar surface]]

At 12:52:00 UTC on July 20, Aldrin and Armstrong entered [[Lunar Module Eagle|''Eagle'']], and began the final preparations for lunar descent.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=106}} At 17:44:00 ''Eagle'' separated from ''Columbia''.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=107}} Collins, alone aboard ''Columbia'', inspected ''Eagle'' as it pirouetted before him to ensure the craft was not damaged, and that the landing gear was correctly deployed.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|p=9}}{{sfn|Collins|Aldrin|1975|p=209}} Armstrong exclaimed: "The ''Eagle'' has wings!"{{sfn|Collins|Aldrin|1975|p=209}}

As the descent began, Armstrong and Aldrin found themselves passing landmarks on the surface two or three seconds early, and reported that they were "long"; they would land miles west of their target point. ''Eagle'' was traveling too fast. The problem could have been [[mass concentration (astronomy)|mascons]]—concen{{shy}}tra{{shy}}tions of high mass in a region or regions of the Moon's crust that contains a [[Gravity anomaly|gravitational anomaly]], potentially altering ''Eagle''{{'s}} trajectory. Flight Director Gene Kranz speculated that it could have resulted from extra air pressure in the docking tunnel, or a result of ''Eagle''{{'}}s pirouette maneuver.{{sfn|Mindell|2008|pp=220–221}}{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|p=82}}

Five minutes into the descent burn, and {{convert|6000|ft|m|-2}} above the surface of the Moon, the [[Apollo Guidance Computer|LM guidance computer]] (LGC) distracted the crew with the first of several unexpected 1201 and 1202 program alarms. Inside Mission Control Center, computer engineer [[Jack Garman]] told [[Flight controller#GUIDO|Guidance Officer]] [[Steve Bales]] it was safe to continue the descent, and this was relayed to the crew. The program alarms indicated "executive overflows", meaning the guidance computer could not complete all its tasks in real-time and had to postpone some of them.{{sfn|Collins|Aldrin|1975|pp=210–212}}{{sfn|Hamilton|Hackler|2008|pp=34–43}} [[Margaret Hamilton (software engineer)|Margaret Hamilton]], the Director of Apollo Flight Computer Programming at the [[MIT]] [[Charles Stark Draper Laboratory]] later recalled:
[[File:Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle in landing configuration in lunar orbit from the Command and Service Module Columbia.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|right|[[Lunar Module Eagle|''Eagle'']] in [[lunar orbit]] photographed from [[Command module Columbia|''Columbia'']]]]

{{blockquote|To blame the computer for the Apollo 11 problems is like blaming the person who spots a fire and calls the fire department. Actually, the computer was programmed to do more than recognize error conditions. A complete set of recovery programs was incorporated into the software. The software's action, in this case, was to eliminate lower priority tasks and re-establish the more important ones. The computer, rather than almost forcing an abort, prevented an abort. If the computer hadn't recognized this problem and taken recovery action, I doubt if Apollo 11 would have been the successful Moon landing it was.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hamilton |first=Margaret H. |author-link=Margaret Hamilton (software engineer) |date=March 1, 1971 |page=13 |title=Computer Got Loaded |journal=[[Datamation]] |type=Letter |issn=0011-6963}}</ref>}}

During the mission, the cause was diagnosed as the rendezvous radar switch being in the wrong position, causing the computer to process data from both the rendezvous and landing radars at the same time.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|pp=190–192}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.1201-fm.html |title=Apollo 11: 25 Years Later |last=Martin |first=Fred H. |date=July 1994 |work=Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal |publisher=NASA |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=May 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527012357/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.1201-fm.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Software engineer [[Don Eyles]] concluded in a 2005 Guidance and Control Conference paper that the problem was due to a hardware design bug previously seen during testing of the first uncrewed LM in [[Apollo 5]]. Having the rendezvous radar on (so it was warmed up in case of an emergency landing abort) should have been irrelevant to the computer, but an electrical phasing mismatch between two parts of the rendezvous radar system could cause the stationary antenna to appear to the computer as dithering back and forth between two positions, depending upon how the hardware randomly powered up. The extra spurious [[cycle stealing]], as the rendezvous radar updated an involuntary counter, caused the computer alarms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://klabs.org/history/apollo_11_alarms/eyles_2004/eyles_2004.htm |title=Tales from the Lunar Module Guidance Computer |last=Eyles |first=Don |date=February 6, 2004 |work=27th annual Guidance and Control Conference |publisher=[[American Astronautical Society]] |location=Breckenridge, Colorado |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224051423/http://klabs.org/history/apollo_11_alarms/eyles_2004/eyles_2004.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Landing ===
[[File:AP11 FINAL APPROACH.ogv|thumb|Armstrong pilots ''Eagle'' to its landing on the Moon, July 20, 1969.]]
When Armstrong again looked outside, he saw that the computer's landing target was in a boulder-strewn area just north and east of a {{convert|300|ft|m|adj=mid|sp=us|-diameter}} crater (later determined to be [[West (lunar crater)|West crater]]), so he took semi-automatic control.{{sfn|Chaikin|1994|p=196}}{{sfn|Mindell|2008|pp=195–197}} Armstrong considered landing short of the boulder field so they could collect geological samples from it, but could not since their horizontal velocity was too high. Throughout the descent, Aldrin called out navigation data to Armstrong, who was busy piloting ''Eagle''. Now {{convert|107|ft|m|sp=us}} above the surface, Armstrong knew their propellant supply was dwindling and was determined to land at the first possible landing site.{{sfn|Chaikin|1994|p=197}}

Armstrong found a clear patch of ground and maneuvered the spacecraft towards it. As he got closer, now {{convert|250|ft|m|sp=us}} above the surface, he discovered his new landing site had a crater in it. He cleared the crater and found another patch of level ground. They were now {{convert|100|ft|m|sp=us}} from the surface, with only 90 seconds of propellant remaining. Lunar dust kicked up by the LM's engine began to impair his ability to determine the spacecraft's motion. Some large rocks jutted out of the dust cloud, and Armstrong focused on them during his descent so he could determine the spacecraft's speed.{{sfn|Chaikin|1994|pp=198–199}}

A light informed Aldrin that at least one of the {{convert|67|in|cm|0|adj=on}} probes hanging from ''Eagle''{{'s}} footpads had touched the surface a few moments before the landing and he said: "Contact light!" Armstrong was supposed to immediately shut the engine down, as the engineers suspected the pressure caused by the engine's own exhaust reflecting off the lunar surface could make it explode, but he forgot. Three seconds later, ''Eagle'' landed and Armstrong shut the engine down.{{sfn|Chaikin|1994|p=199}} Aldrin immediately said "Okay, engine stop. ACA—out of [[detent]]." Armstrong acknowledged: "Out of detent. Auto." Aldrin continued: "Mode control—both auto. Descent engine command override off. Engine arm—off. 413 is in."{{sfn|Mindell|2008|p=226}}
[[File:Apollo 11 Landing Site & West Crater.png|thumb|left|Landing site relative to [[West (lunar crater)|West crater]]]]
ACA was the [[Spacecraft attitude control|Attitude Control Assembly]]—the LM's control stick. Output went to the LGC to command the [[reaction control system]] (RCS) jets to fire. "Out of Detent" meant the stick had moved away from its centered position; it was spring-centered like the turn indicator in a car. Address 413 of the [[Apollo Abort Guidance System|Abort Guidance System]] (AGS) contained the variable that indicated the LM had landed.<ref name="ALSJ 1" />

''Eagle'' landed at 20:17:40 UTC on Sunday July 20 with {{convert|216|lb}} of usable fuel remaining. Information available to the crew and mission controllers during the landing showed the LM had enough fuel for another 25 seconds of powered flight before an abort without touchdown would have become unsafe,<ref name="ALSJ 1" />{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=295}} but post-mission analysis showed that the real figure was probably closer to 50 seconds.<ref name="Horizons2013">{{cite journal |last1=Fjeld |first1=Paul |title=The Biggest Myth about the First Moon Landing |journal=Horizons |date=June 2013 |volume=38 |issue=6 |pages=5–6 |url=http://www.aiaahouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Horizons_2013_05_and_06_low_resolution.pdf#page=5 |access-date=March 29, 2019 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224130506/http://www.aiaahouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Horizons_2013_05_and_06_low_resolution.pdf#page=5 |url-status=live }}</ref> Apollo 11 landed with less fuel than most subsequent missions, and the astronauts encountered a premature low fuel warning. This was later found to be the result of the propellant [[Slosh dynamics|sloshing]] more than expected, uncovering a fuel sensor. On subsequent missions, extra anti-slosh baffles were added to the tanks to prevent this.<ref name="ALSJ 1" />

Armstrong acknowledged Aldrin's completion of the post-landing checklist with "Engine arm is off", before responding to the CAPCOM, Charles Duke, with the words, "Houston, [[Tranquility Base]] here. The ''[[Lunar Module Eagle|Eagle]]'' has landed." Armstrong's unrehearsed change of call sign from "Eagle" to "Tranquility Base" emphasized to listeners that landing was complete and successful.<ref>{{cite AV media |type=TV production |title=Failure is Not an Option |publisher=[[The History Channel]] |date=August 24, 2003 |oclc=54435670}}</ref> Duke expressed the relief at Mission Control: "Roger, Twan—Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot."<ref name="ALSJ 1">{{cite web |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.landing.html |title=The First Lunar Landing |date=1995 |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Eric M. |work=Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal |publisher=NASA |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=December 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227230604/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.landing.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/james-may-speaks-to-charles-duke/zfnghbk |title=James May speaks to Charles Duke |date=2009 |publisher=BBC Archives |access-date=June 7, 2009 |archive-date=August 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817203306/https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/james-may-speaks-to-charles-duke/zfnghbk |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:A New Look at the Apollo 11 Landing Site.ogg|thumb|[[Stereoscopy|3-D]] view from the [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]] (LRO) of Apollo 11 landing site]]

Two and a half hours after landing, before preparations began for the EVA, Aldrin radioed to Earth:
{{blockquote|This is the LM pilot. I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.postland.html |title=Post-landing Activities |date=1995 |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Eric M. |work=Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal |publisher=NASA |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510224246/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.postland.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
He then took [[Eucharist|communion]] privately. At this time NASA was still fighting a lawsuit brought by atheist [[Madalyn Murray O'Hair]] (who had objected to the [[Apollo 8 Genesis reading|Apollo&nbsp;8 crew reading from the Book of Genesis]]) demanding that their astronauts refrain from broadcasting religious activities while in space. For this reason, Aldrin chose to refrain from directly mentioning taking communion on the Moon. Aldrin was an elder at the [[Webster, Texas|Webster]] [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian Church]], and his communion kit was prepared by the pastor of the church, Dean Woodruff. Webster Presbyterian possesses the chalice used on the Moon and commemorates the event each year on the Sunday closest to July 20.{{sfn|Chaikin|1994|pp=204, 623}} The schedule for the mission called for the astronauts to follow the landing with a five-hour sleep period, but they chose to begin preparations for the EVA early, thinking they would be unable to sleep.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|pp=21–22}}

=== Lunar surface operations ===
Preparations for [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]] to walk on the Moon began at 23:43 UTC.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=107}} These took longer than expected; three and a half hours instead of two.<ref name="ALSJ 3" /> During training on Earth, everything required had been neatly laid out in advance, but on the Moon the cabin contained a large number of other items as well, such as checklists, food packets, and tools.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|p=22}} Six hours and thirty-nine minutes after landing, Armstrong and Aldrin were ready to go outside, and ''Eagle'' was depressurized.{{sfn|Cortright|1975|p=215}}

''Eagle''{{'}}s hatch was opened at 02:39:33.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=107}} Armstrong initially had some difficulties squeezing through the hatch with his [[primary life support system|portable life support system]] (PLSS).<ref name="ALSJ 3">{{cite web |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.summary.html |title=First Steps |date=1995 |editor1-last=Jones |editor1-first=Eric M. |editor2-last=Glover |editor2-first=Ken |work=Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal |publisher=NASA |access-date=September 23, 2006 |archive-date=October 9, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009173831/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.summary.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Some of the highest heart rates recorded from Apollo astronauts occurred during LM egress and ingress.{{sfn|Johnston|Dietlein|Berry|1975|pp=115–120}} At 02:51 Armstrong began his descent to the lunar surface. The remote control unit on his chest kept him from seeing his feet. Climbing down the nine-rung ladder, Armstrong pulled a D-ring to deploy the modular equipment stowage assembly (MESA) folded against ''Eagle''{{'s}} side and activate the TV camera.<ref>{{cite news |title=Neil Armstrong, first man to step on the Moon, dies at 82 |first=Paul |last=Duggan |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/neil-armstrong-first-man-to-step-on-the-moon-dies-at-82/2012/08/25/7091c8bc-412d-11e0-a16f-4c3fe0fd37f0_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=August 25, 2012 |access-date=May 25, 2013 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212015720/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/neil-armstrong-first-man-to-step-on-the-moon-dies-at-82/2012/08/25/7091c8bc-412d-11e0-a16f-4c3fe0fd37f0_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ALSJ 4">{{cite web |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.step.html |title=One Small Step |date=1995 |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Eric M. |work=Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal |publisher=NASA |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=August 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808082450/https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.step.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Apollo 11 used [[slow-scan television]] (TV) incompatible with broadcast TV, so it was displayed on a special monitor and a conventional TV camera viewed this monitor (thus, a broadcast of a broadcast), significantly reducing the quality of the picture.<ref name="Blunder 5">{{cite news |title=One giant blunder for mankind: how NASA lost Moon pictures |last=Macey |first=Richard |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/one-giant-blunder-for-mankind-how-nasa-lost-moon-pictures/2006/08/04/1154198328978.html |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |location=Sydney |date=August 5, 2006 |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=May 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529192922/https://www.smh.com.au/national/one-giant-blunder-for-mankind-how-nasa-lost-moon-pictures-20060805-gdo42n.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The signal was received at [[Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex|Goldstone]] in the United States, but with better fidelity by [[Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station]] near [[Canberra]] in Australia. Minutes later the feed was switched to the more sensitive [[Parkes Observatory|Parkes radio telescope]] in Australia.{{sfn|Sarkissian|2001|p=287}} Despite some technical and weather difficulties, black and white images of the first lunar EVA were received and broadcast to at least 600&nbsp;million people on Earth.{{sfn|Sarkissian|2001|p=287}} Copies of this video in broadcast format were saved and are widely available, but [[Apollo 11 missing tapes|recordings of the original slow scan source transmission from the lunar surface]] were likely destroyed during routine magnetic tape re-use at NASA.<ref name="Blunder 5" />

[[File:Apollo 11 Landing - first steps on the moon.ogv|thumb|right|Video of Neil Armstrong and the first step on the Moon]]
{{Listen|pos=right|filename=Frase de Neil Armstrong.ogg|title=That's one small step ...|description=|format=[[Ogg]]}}

After describing the surface dust as "very fine-grained" and "almost like a powder",<ref name="ALSJ 4" /> at 02:56:15,<ref name="AT-20190723">{{cite magazine |last=Stern |first=Jacob |title=One Small Controversy About Neil Armstrong's Giant Leap—When, exactly, did the astronaut set foot on the moon? No one knows. |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/tiny-imprecision-heart-apollo-11/594556/ |date=July 23, 2019 |magazine=[[The Atlantic]] |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108002121/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/tiny-imprecision-heart-apollo-11/594556/ |url-status=live }}</ref> six and a half hours after landing, Armstrong stepped off ''Eagle''{{'s}} landing pad and declared: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."{{efn|name=transcript}}{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=108}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/F_Apollo_35th_Anniversary.html |title=Apollo Moon Landing—35th Anniversary |date=July 15, 2004 |editor-last=Canright |editor-first=Shelley |work=NASA Education |publisher=NASA |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=July 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704144425/http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/F_Apollo_35th_Anniversary.html |url-status=live }} Includes the "a" article as intended.</ref>

Armstrong intended to say "That's one small step for a man", but the word "a" is not audible in the transmission, and thus was not initially reported by most observers of the live broadcast. When later asked about his quote, Armstrong said he believed he said "for a man", and subsequent printed versions of the quote included the "a" in square brackets. One explanation for the absence may be that his accent caused him to slur the words "for a" together; another is the intermittent nature of the audio and video links to Earth, partly because of storms near Parkes Observatory. A more recent digital analysis of the tape claims to reveal the "a" may have been spoken but obscured by static. Other analysis points to the claims of static and slurring as "face-saving fabrication", and that Armstrong himself later admitted to misspeaking the line.<ref>{{snopes | link = http://www.snopes.com/quotes/onesmall.asp | title = One Small Step}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Armstrong 'got Moon quote right' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5398560.stm |date=October 2, 2006 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |location=London |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127201446/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5398560.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Armstrong's 'poetic' slip on Moon |first=Pallab |last=Ghosh |author-link=Pallab Ghosh |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8081817.stm |date=June 3, 2009 |publisher=BBC News |location=London |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=February 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223003808/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8081817.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

About seven minutes after stepping onto the Moon's surface, Armstrong collected a contingency soil sample using a sample bag on a stick. He then folded the bag and tucked it into a pocket on his right thigh. This was to guarantee there would be some lunar soil brought back in case an emergency required the astronauts to abandon the EVA and return to the LM.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/lsc/10010.pdf |title=Lunar Sample Compendium: Contingency Soil (10010) |last=Meyer |first=Charles |date=2009 |work=Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science |publisher=NASA |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510225907/http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/lsc/10010.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Twelve minutes after the sample was collected,{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=108}} he removed the TV camera from the MESA and made a panoramic sweep, then mounted it on a tripod.<ref name="ALSJ 3" /> The TV camera cable remained partly coiled and presented a tripping hazard throughout the EVA. Still photography was accomplished with a [[Hasselblad]] camera that could be operated hand-held or mounted on Armstrong's [[Apollo/Skylab A7L|Apollo space suit]].{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|p=23}} Aldrin joined Armstrong on the surface. He described the view with the simple phrase: "Magnificent desolation."<ref name="ALSJ 4" />

Armstrong said moving in the [[Gravitation of the Moon|lunar gravity]], one-sixth of Earth's, was "even perhaps easier than the simulations&nbsp;... It's absolutely no trouble to walk around."<ref name="ALSJ 4" /> Aldrin joined him on the surface and tested methods for moving around, including two-footed kangaroo hops. The PLSS backpack created a tendency to tip backward, but neither astronaut had serious problems maintaining balance. Loping became the preferred method of movement. The astronauts reported that they needed to plan their movements six or seven steps ahead. The fine soil was quite slippery. Aldrin remarked that moving from sunlight into ''Eagle''{{'s}} shadow produced no temperature change inside the suit, but the helmet was warmer in sunlight, so he felt cooler in shadow.<ref name="ALSJ 4" /> The MESA failed to provide a stable work platform and was in shadow, slowing work somewhat. As they worked, the moonwalkers kicked up gray dust, which soiled the outer part of their suits.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|p=23}}
[[File:Buzz salutes the U.S. Flag.jpg|thumb|left|Aldrin salutes the deployed United States flag on the [[lunar surface]].]]

The astronauts planted the [[Lunar Flag Assembly]] containing a [[flag of the United States]] on the lunar surface, in clear view of the TV camera. Aldrin remembered, "Of all the jobs I had to do on the Moon the one I wanted to go the smoothest was the flag raising."<ref name="theattic">{{cite web |title=A Flag on the Moon |url=https://www.theattic.space/home-page-blogs/2018/9/27/4j6861bez3j568c31rzj7lynevmtpt |website=The Attic |access-date=October 1, 2018 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726090216/https://www.theattic.space/home-page-blogs/2018/9/27/4j6861bez3j568c31rzj7lynevmtpt |url-status=live }}</ref> But the astronauts struggled with the telescoping rod and could only insert the pole about {{Convert|5|cm|in|0|abbr=|order=flip}} into the hard lunar surface. Aldrin was afraid it might topple in front of TV viewers, but gave "a crisp West Point salute".<ref name="theattic" /> Before Aldrin could take a photo of Armstrong with the flag, President Richard Nixon spoke to them through a telephone-radio transmission, which Nixon called "the most historic phone call ever made from the White House."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/apollo11.html |title=Exhibit: Apollo 11 and Nixon |date=March 1996 |work=American Originals |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration]] |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=April 13, 2008 |archive-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114001748/http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/apollo11.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Nixon originally had a long speech prepared to read during the phone call, but Frank Borman, who was at the White House as a NASA liaison during Apollo 11, convinced Nixon to keep his words brief.{{sfn|Borman|Serling|1988|pp=237–238}}

{{blockquote|'''Nixon:''' Hello, Neil and Buzz. I'm talking to you by telephone from the Oval Room at the White House. And this certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made from the White House.<!-- "from the White House" was not clearly audible in the transmitted audio (although perhaps the "ouse" in "House" was), but was clearly spoken in a local recording of the call and appears in the source transcript --> I just can't tell you how proud we all are of what you have done. For every American, this has to be the proudest day of our lives. And for people all over the world, I am sure that<!-- "that" was not clearly audible in the transmitted audio, but was clearly spoken in a local recording of the call and appears in the source transcript --> they too join with Americans in recognizing what an immense feat this is. Because of what you have done, the heavens have become a part of man's world. And as you talk to us from the Sea of Tranquility, it inspires us to redouble our efforts to bring peace and tranquility to Earth. For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this Earth are truly one: one in their pride in what you have done, and one in our prayers that you will return safely to Earth.{{pb}}
'''Armstrong:''' Thank you, Mr. President. It's a great honor and privilege for us to be here, representing not only the United States, but men of peace of all nations, and with interest and a<!-- sometimes transcribed as "the" --> curiosity, and men with a vision for the future. It's an honor for us to be able to participate here today.
'''Nixon:''' Thank you very much, and I look forward, all of us look forward, to seeing you on the Hornet on Thursday.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/telephone-conversation-with-the-apollo-11-astronauts-the-moon |title=Richard Nixon: Telephone Conversation With the Apollo 11 Astronauts on the Moon |publisher=UC Santa Barbara |work=The American Presidency Project |access-date=October 26, 2018 |archive-date=March 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302083500/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/telephone-conversation-with-the-apollo-11-astronauts-the-moon |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Apollo 11 Astronauts Talk With Richard Nixon From the Surface of the Moon – AT&T Archives |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGKIh3koAI |publisher=AT&T Tech Channel |date=July 20, 2012 |via=YouTube |access-date=December 5, 2020 |archive-date=May 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522063525/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieGKIh3koAI |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

[[File:Buzz Aldrin's bootprint on the Moon, AS11-40-5877 (21472308758).jpg|thumb|right|Aldrin's bootprint; part of an experiment to test the properties of the lunar [[regolith]]]]

They deployed the [[Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package|EASEP]], which included a [[Passive Seismic Experiment Package]] used to measure [[moonquake]]s and a [[Laser Ranging Retroflector|retroreflector]] array used for the [[lunar laser ranging experiment]].<ref name="EASEP Deployment and Closeout" /> Then Armstrong walked {{convert|196|ft|m}} from the LM to take photographs at the rim of [[Little West (lunar crater)|Little West Crater]]<!-- There is no "East Crater", see https://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11EastCraterRIP.html --> while Aldrin collected two [[core sample]]s. He used the [[geologist's hammer]] to pound in the tubes—the only time the hammer was used on Apollo 11—but was unable to penetrate more than {{convert|6|in|cm}} deep. The astronauts then collected rock samples using scoops and tongs on extension handles. Many of the surface activities took longer than expected, so they had to stop documenting sample collection halfway through the allotted 34 minutes. Aldrin shoveled {{convert|6|kg}} of soil into the box of rocks to pack them in tightly.{{sfn|Harland|1999|pp=28–29}} Two types of rocks were found in the geological samples: [[basalt]] and [[breccia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_11/samples/|title=Lunar Sample Overview|publisher=Lunar and Planetary Institute|access-date=December 28, 2018|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207041628/https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_11/samples/|url-status=live}}</ref> Three new minerals were discovered in the rock samples collected by the astronauts: [[armalcolite]], [[tranquillityite]], and [[pyroxferroite]]. Armalcolite was named after Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. All have subsequently been found on Earth.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120115223636.htm |title=Moon-walk mineral discovered in Western Australia |website=ScienceDaily |author=University of Western Australia |date=January 17, 2012 |access-date=September 24, 2018 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111215850/http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120115223636.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Apollo 11 plaque closeup on Moon.jpg|right|thumb|[[Lunar plaque|The plaque]] left on the ladder of ''Eagle'']]

While on the surface, Armstrong uncovered a [[lunar plaque|plaque]] mounted on the LM ladder, bearing two drawings of Earth (of the Western and Eastern Hemispheres), an inscription, and signatures of the astronauts and President Nixon. The inscription read:

{{blockquote|Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon July 1969, A. <!-- actual plaque clearly includes a space here -->D. We came in peace for all mankind.<ref name="ALSJ 4" />}}

At the behest of the [[Nixon administration]] to add a reference to God, NASA included the vague date as a reason to include A.D., which stands for [[Anno Domini]] ("in the year of our Lord").{{sfn|Gardner|2017|p=143}}

Mission Control used a coded phrase to warn Armstrong his metabolic rates were high, and that he should slow down. He was moving rapidly from task to task as time ran out. As metabolic rates remained generally lower than expected for both astronauts throughout the walk, Mission Control granted the astronauts a 15-minute extension.<ref name="EASEP Deployment and Closeout">{{cite web |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.clsout.html |title=EASEP Deployment and Closeout |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Eric M. |date=1995 |work=Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal |publisher=NASA |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=February 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225025455/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.clsout.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In a 2010 interview, Armstrong explained that NASA limited the first moonwalk's time and distance because there was no empirical proof of how much cooling water the astronauts' PLSS backpacks would consume to handle their body heat generation while working on the Moon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.space.com/10469-neil-armstrong-explains-famous-apollo-11-moonwalk.html |title=Neil Armstrong Explains His Famous Apollo 11 Moonwalk |date=December 10, 2010 |publisher=[[Space.com]] |location=New York |access-date=May 25, 2013 |archive-date=August 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802234446/http://www.space.com/10469-neil-armstrong-explains-famous-apollo-11-moonwalk.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Lunar ascent ===

Aldrin entered ''Eagle'' first. With some difficulty the astronauts lifted film and two sample boxes containing {{convert|21.55|kg|lb}} of lunar surface material to the LM hatch using a flat cable pulley device called the Lunar Equipment Conveyor (LEC). This proved to be an inefficient tool, and later missions preferred to carry equipment and samples up to the LM by hand.<ref name="ALSJ 3" /> Armstrong reminded Aldrin of a bag of memorial items in his sleeve pocket, and Aldrin tossed the bag down. Armstrong then jumped onto the ladder's third rung, and climbed into the LM. After transferring to LM [[life support]], the explorers lightened the ascent stage for the return to lunar orbit by tossing out their PLSS backpacks, lunar overshoes, an empty Hasselblad camera, and other equipment. The hatch was closed again at 05:11:13. They then pressurized the LM and settled down to sleep.<ref name="ALSJ 6">{{cite web |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.posteva.html |title=Trying to Rest |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Eric M. |date=1995 |work=Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal |publisher=NASA |access-date=June 13, 2013 |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510204402/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.posteva.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Aldrin Looks Back at Tranquility Base - GPN-2000-001102.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|Aldrin next to the Passive Seismic Experiment Package with the [[Apollo Lunar Module|Lunar Module]] ''Eagle'' in the background]]

Presidential speech writer [[William Safire]] had prepared an ''In Event of Moon Disaster'' announcement for Nixon to read in the event the Apollo 11 astronauts were stranded on the Moon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/white-house-lost-space-scenarios |title=White House 'Lost In Space' Scenarios |date=August 8, 2005 |publisher=[[The Smoking Gun]] |location=New York |access-date=May 25, 2013 |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225012257/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/white-house-lost-space-scenarios |url-status=live }} Scanned copy of the "In Event of Moon Disaster" memo.</ref> The remarks were in a memo from Safire to Nixon's [[White House Chief of Staff]] [[H. R. Haldeman]], in which Safire suggested a protocol the administration might follow in reaction to such a disaster.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Story of a Tragedy That Was Not to Be |first=Jim |last=Mann |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-07-mn-53678-story.html |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=July 7, 1999 |access-date=May 25, 2013 |archive-date=August 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130830075156/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jul/07/news/mn-53678 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="safire">{{cite news |title=Essay; Disaster Never Came |first=William |last=Safire |author-link=William Safire |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/12/opinion/essay-disaster-never-came.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 12, 1999 |access-date=May 25, 2013 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224061550/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/12/opinion/essay-disaster-never-came.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the plan, Mission Control would "close down communications" with the LM, and a clergyman would "commend their souls to the deepest of the deep" in a public ritual likened to [[burial at sea]]. The last line of the prepared text contained an allusion to [[Rupert Brooke]]'s World War I poem "[[The Soldier (poem)|The Soldier]]".<ref name="safire" /> The script for the speech does not make reference to Collins; as he remained onboard ''[[Command module Columbia|Columbia]]'' in orbit around the Moon, it was expected that he would be able to return the module to Earth in the event of a mission failure.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Elizabeth Howell |date=July 19, 2019 |title=If Apollo 11 Had Gone Terribly Wrong, Here's What Nixon Would Have Told the Country |url=https://www.space.com/if-apollo-11-astronauts-died-nixon-contingency-speech.html |access-date=July 11, 2024 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref>

While moving inside the cabin, Aldrin accidentally damaged the [[circuit breaker]] that would arm the main engine for liftoff from the Moon. There was a concern this would prevent firing the engine, stranding them on the Moon. The nonconductive tip of a Duro [[Marker pen|felt-tip pen]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=Ashley |title=How a Felt-Tipped Marker Saved the Moon Landing |date=July 23, 2019 |url=https://www.asicentral.com/news/web-exclusive/july-2019/how-a-felt-tipped-marker-saved-the-moon-landing/ |access-date=July 20, 2022}}</ref> was sufficient to activate the switch.<ref name="ALSJ 6" />

After more than {{frac|21|1|2}} hours on the lunar surface, in addition to the scientific instruments, the astronauts left behind: an [[Apollo 1]] mission patch in memory of astronauts&nbsp;[[Roger B. Chaffee|Roger Chaffee]], [[Gus Grissom]], and [[Ed White (astronaut)|Edward White]], who died when their command module caught fire during a test in January 1967; two memorial medals of Soviet cosmonauts [[Vladimir Komarov]] and [[Yuri Gagarin]], who died in 1967 and 1968 respectively; a memorial bag containing a gold replica of an olive branch as a traditional symbol of peace; and a silicon message disk carrying the [[Apollo 11 goodwill messages|goodwill statements]] by presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon along with messages from leaders of 73 countries around the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-111507a.html|title=The untold story: how one small silicon disc delivered a giant message to the Moon|website=collectSPACE|access-date=November 20, 2019|date=November 15, 2007|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224210851/http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-111507a.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The disk also carries a listing of the leadership of the US Congress, a listing of members of the four committees of the House and Senate responsible for the NASA legislation, and the names of NASA's past and then-current top management.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages |date=July 13, 1969 |publisher=NASA |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://history.nasa.gov/ap11-35ann/goodwill/Apollo_11_material.pdf |id=Release No: 69-83F |access-date=June 14, 2013 |archive-date=September 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903191836/https://www.history.nasa.gov/ap11-35ann/goodwill/Apollo_11_material.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Apollo 11 photo map.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|Map showing landing site and photos taken]]

After about seven hours of rest, the crew was awakened by Houston to prepare for the return flight. 
At that time, unknown to them, some hundred kilometers away from them the Soviet probe [[Luna 15]] was about to descend and impact. Despite having been known to be orbiting the Moon at the same time, through a ground-breaking precautious goodwill exchange of data, the mission control of Luna 15 unexpectedly hastened its robotic [[sample-return mission]], initiating descent, in an attempt to return before Apollo 11.<ref name="audio">{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/recording-tracks-russias-moon-gatecrash-attempt-1730851.html| title=Recording tracks Russia's Moon gatecrash attempt| date=July 3, 2009| newspaper=[[The Independent]]| location=London| last=Brown| first=Jonathan}}</ref> Just two hours before Apollo 11's launch Luna 15 crashed at 15:50 UTC, with British astronomers monitoring Luna 15 and recording the situation one commented: "I say, this has really been drama of the highest order",<ref name="a357">{{cite news | last=Horton | first=Alex | title=The Soviets crashed a spacecraft onto the moon | newspaper=Washington Post | date=July 19, 2019 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/07/19/soviets-tried-beat-apollo-they-crashed-spacecraft-moon-instead/ | access-date=July 17, 2024}}</ref> bringing the [[Space Race]] to a culmination.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/luna-15/in-depth| title=Missions: Luna 15| website=Solar System Exploration: NASA Science| access-date=March 18, 2019| archive-date=April 10, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410114541/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/luna-15/in-depth| url-status=dead}}</ref>

Roughly two hours later, at 17:54:00 UTC, the Apollo 11 crew on the surface safely lifted off in ''Eagle''{{'s}} ascent stage to rejoin Collins aboard ''Columbia'' in lunar orbit.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=108}} Film taken from the LM ascent stage upon liftoff from the Moon reveals the American flag, planted some {{Convert|25|ft|m|0}} from the descent stage, whipping violently in the exhaust of the ascent stage engine. Aldrin looked up in time to witness the flag topple: "The ascent stage of the LM separated&nbsp;... I was concentrating on the computers, and Neil was studying the [[attitude indicator]], but I looked up long enough to see the flag fall over."{{sfn|Collins|Aldrin|1975|p=219}} Subsequent Apollo missions planted their flags farther from the LM.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/9439047/American-flags-still-standing-on-the-Moon-say-scientists.html |date=June 30, 2012 |title=American flags still standing on the Moon, say scientists |access-date=September 24, 2018 |archive-date=February 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209133957/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/9439047/American-flags-still-standing-on-the-Moon-say-scientists.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== ''Columbia'' in lunar orbit ===

During his day flying solo around the Moon, Collins never felt lonely. Although it has been said "not since [[Adam]] has any human known such solitude",{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=402}} Collins felt very much a part of the mission. In his autobiography he wrote: "this venture has been structured for three men, and I consider my third to be as necessary as either of the other two".{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=402}} In the 48 minutes of each orbit when he was out of radio contact with the Earth while ''Columbia'' passed round the far side of the Moon, the feeling he reported was not fear or loneliness, but rather "awareness, anticipation, satisfaction, confidence, almost exultation".{{sfn|Collins|2001|p=402}}

One of Collins' first tasks was to identify the lunar module on the ground. To give Collins an idea where to look, Mission Control radioed that they believed the lunar module landed about {{convert|4|mile|km}} off target. Each time he passed over the suspected lunar landing site, he tried in vain to find the module. On his first orbits on the back side of the Moon, Collins performed maintenance activities such as dumping excess water produced by the [[fuel cell]]s and preparing the cabin for Armstrong and Aldrin to return.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=401–407}}

Just before he reached the dark side on the third orbit, Mission Control informed Collins there was a problem with the temperature of the coolant. If it became too cold, parts of ''Columbia'' might freeze. Mission Control advised him to assume manual control and implement Environmental Control System Malfunction Procedure 17. Instead, Collins flicked the switch on the system from automatic to manual and back to automatic again, and carried on with normal housekeeping chores, while keeping an eye on the temperature. When ''Columbia'' came back around to the near side of the Moon again, he was able to report that the problem had been resolved. For the next couple of orbits, he described his time on the back side of the Moon as "relaxing". After Aldrin and Armstrong completed their EVA, Collins slept so he could be rested for the rendezvous. While the flight plan called for ''Eagle'' to meet up with ''Columbia'', Collins was prepared for a contingency in which he would fly ''Columbia'' down to meet ''Eagle''.{{sfn|Collins|2001|pp=406–408, 410}}

=== Return ===
[[File:Earth, Moon and Lunar Module, AS11-44-6643 c.jpg|thumb|[[Lunar Module Eagle|''Eagle'']]{{'s}} ascent stage approaching [[Command Module Columbia|''Columbia'']]]]
''Eagle'' rendezvoused with ''Columbia'' at 21:24 UTC on July 21, and the two docked at 21:35. ''Eagle''{{'}}s ascent stage was jettisoned into lunar orbit at 23:41.{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=109}} Just before the [[Apollo 12]] flight, it was noted that ''Eagle'' was still likely to be orbiting the Moon. Later NASA reports mentioned that ''Eagle''{{'s}} orbit had decayed, resulting in it impacting in an "uncertain location" on the lunar surface.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_tables.html |title=Apollo Tables |last=Williams |first=David R. |work=[[NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive]] |publisher=NASA |access-date=September 23, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001125211/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_tables.html |archive-date=October 1, 2006}}</ref> In 2021, however, some calculations show that the lander may still be in orbit.<ref>{{cite arXiv |title=Long-term Orbit Stability of the Apollo 11 "Eagle"Lunar Module Ascent Stage|eprint=2105.10088|last1=Meador|first1=James|year=2021|class=physics.space-ph}}</ref>

On July 23, the last night before splashdown, the three astronauts made a television broadcast in which Collins commented: "All this is possible only through the blood, sweat, and tears of a number of people&nbsp;... All you see is the three of us, but beneath the surface are thousands and thousands of others, and to all of those, I would like to say, 'Thank you very much'."{{sfn|Collins|Aldrin|1975|p=222}} Aldrin added: "This has been far more than three men on a mission to the Moon; more, still, than the efforts of a government and industry team; more, even, than the efforts of one nation. We feel that this stands as a symbol of the insatiable curiosity of all mankind to explore the unknown&nbsp;..."{{sfn|Collins|Aldrin|1975|p=222}}

Armstrong concluded:

{{blockquote|The responsibility for this flight lies first with history and with the giants of science who have preceded this effort; next with the American people, who have, through their will, indicated their desire; next with four administrations and their Congresses, for implementing that will; and then, with the agency and industry teams that built our spacecraft, the Saturn, the Columbia, the Eagle, and the little [[Extravehicular Mobility Unit|EMU]], the spacesuit and backpack that was our small spacecraft out on the lunar surface. We would like to give special thanks to all those Americans who built the spacecraft; who did the construction, design, the tests, and put their hearts and all their abilities into those craft. To those people tonight, we give a special thank you, and to all the other people that are listening and watching tonight, God bless you. Good night from Apollo 11.{{sfn|Collins|Aldrin|1975|p=222}} }}

On the return to Earth, a bearing at the Guam tracking station failed, potentially preventing communication on the last segment of the Earth return. A regular repair was not possible in the available time but the station director, Charles Force, had his ten-year-old son Greg use his small hands to reach into the housing and pack it with grease. Greg was later thanked by Armstrong.<ref>{{cite news |title=The 10-year-old who helped Apollo 11, 40 years later |last=Rodriguez |first=Rachel |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/07/20/apollo11.irpt/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=July 20, 2009 |access-date=January 10, 2011 |archive-date=January 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126041434/http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/07/20/apollo11.irpt/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Splashdown and quarantine ===

[[File:Splashdown 3.jpg|thumb|''Columbia'' floats on the ocean as Navy divers assist in retrieving the astronauts.]]

The [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Hornet|CV-12|6}}, under the command of [[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]] [[Carl J. Seiberlich]],{{sfn|Carmichael|2010|p=3}} was selected as the primary recovery ship (PRS) for Apollo 11 on June 5, replacing its sister ship, the [[Landing platform helicopter|LPH]] {{USS|Princeton|CV-37|6}}, which had recovered Apollo 10 on May 26. ''Hornet'' was then at her home port of [[Long Beach, California]].{{sfn|Carmichael|2010|p=21}} On reaching [[Pearl Harbor]] on July 5, ''Hornet'' [[Embarkation|embarked]] the [[Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King]] helicopters of [[HSC-4|HS-4]], a unit which specialized in recovery of Apollo spacecraft, specialized divers of [[Underwater Demolition Team|UDT]] Detachment Apollo, a 35-man NASA recovery team, and about 120 media representatives. To make room, most of ''Hornet''{{'}}s air wing was left behind in Long Beach. Special recovery equipment was also loaded, including a [[Boilerplate (spaceflight)|boilerplate]] command module used for training.{{sfn|Carmichael|2010|pp=38–43, 71–72}}

On July 12, with Apollo 11 still on the launch pad, ''Hornet'' departed Pearl Harbor for the recovery area in the central Pacific,{{sfn|Carmichael|2010|p=85}} in the vicinity of {{Coord|10|36|N|172|24|E|display=inline}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/A11_PressKit.pdf |title=Press Kit—Apollo 11 Lunar Landing Mission |publisher=NASA |page=57 |date=July 6, 1969 |access-date=October 11, 2018 |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111155929/https://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/A11_PressKit.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> A presidential party consisting of Nixon, Borman, Secretary of State [[William P. Rogers]] and [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[Henry Kissinger]] flew to [[Johnston Atoll]] on [[Air Force One]], then to the [[command ship]] [[USS Saipan (CVL-48)|''USS Arlington'']] in [[Marine One]]. After a night on board, they would fly to ''Hornet'' in Marine One for a few hours of ceremonies. On arrival aboard ''Hornet'', the party was greeted by the [[United States Indo-Pacific Command|Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC)]], [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]] [[John S. McCain Jr.]], and [[List of administrators and deputy administrators of NASA|NASA Administrator]] [[Thomas O. Paine]], who flew to ''Hornet'' from [[Pago Pago]] in one of ''Hornet''{{'}}s [[carrier onboard delivery]] aircraft.{{sfn|Carmichael|2010|pp=107–108, 145–146}}

Weather satellites were not yet common, but US Air Force [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]] Hank Brandli had access to top-secret [[CORONA (satellite)|spy satellite]] images. He realized that a storm front was headed for the Apollo recovery area. Poor visibility which could make locating the capsule difficult, and strong upper-level winds which "would have ripped their parachutes to shreds" according to Brandli, posed a serious threat to the safety of the mission.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2013/October%202013/1013weather.aspx|title=Weather or Not|website=Air Force Magazine|access-date=July 22, 2019|date=October 2013|last1=Richelson|first1=Jeffrey T.|archive-date=July 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722142220/http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2013/October%25202013/1013weather.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Brandli alerted Navy Captain Willard S. Houston Jr., the commander of the [[Joint Typhoon Warning Center|Fleet Weather Center]] at Pearl Harbor, who had the required security clearance. On their recommendation, [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Donald C. Davis]], commander of Manned Spaceflight Recovery Forces, Pacific, advised NASA to change the recovery area, each man risking his career. A new location was selected {{convert|215|nmi|km}} northeast.<ref name="ALSJ Re-entry" />{{sfn|Carmichael|2010|pp=136–137, 144–145}}

This altered the flight plan. A different sequence of computer programs was used, one never before attempted. In a conventional entry, trajectory event P64 was followed by P67. For a skip-out re-entry, P65 and P66 were employed to handle the exit and entry parts of the skip. In this case, because they were extending the re-entry but not actually skipping out, P66 was not invoked and instead, P65 led directly to P67. The crew were also warned they would not be in a full-lift (heads-down) attitude when they entered P67.<ref name="ALSJ Re-entry">{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap11fj/26day9-reentry.html |publisher=Apollo Flight Journal |title=Day 9: Re-entry and Splashdown |via=NASA |first1=W. David |last1=Woods |first2=Kenneth D. |last2=MacTaggart |first3=Frank |last3=O'Brien |access-date=September 27, 2018 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112040353/https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap11fj/26day9-reentry.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The first program's acceleration subjected the astronauts to {{convert|6.5|g0}}; the second, to {{convert|6.0|g0}}.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|p=28}}

Before dawn on July 24, ''Hornet'' launched four Sea King helicopters and three [[Grumman E-1 Tracer]]s. Two of the E-1s were designated as "air boss" while the third acted as a communications relay aircraft. Two of the Sea Kings carried divers and recovery equipment. The third carried photographic equipment, and the fourth carried the decontamination swimmer and the flight surgeon.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|pp=169–170}} At 16:44 UTC (05:44 local time) ''Columbia''{{'}}s [[drogue parachute]]s were deployed. This was observed by the helicopters. Seven minutes later ''Columbia'' struck the water forcefully {{convert|2660|km|nmi|abbr=on}} east of [[Wake Island]], {{convert|380|km|nmi|abbr=on}} south of Johnston Atoll, and {{convert|24|km|nmi|abbr=on}} from ''Hornet'',{{sfn|Orloff|2000|p=109}}<ref name="ALSJ Re-entry" /> at {{Coord|13|19|N|169|9|W|display=inline}}.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|p=170}} {{Convert|82|F||abbr=}} with {{Convert|6|ft||abbr=}} seas and winds at {{Convert|17|knot||abbr=}} from the east were reported under broken clouds at {{Convert|1500|ft||abbr=}} with visibility of {{Convert|10|NM||abbr=}} at the recovery site.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/smg/apollo|title=SMG Weather History—Apollo Program|last=US Department of Commerce|first=NOAA|website=www.weather.gov|language=EN-US|access-date=July 22, 2019|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125192340/https://www.weather.gov/smg/apollo|url-status=live}}</ref> Reconnaissance aircraft flying to the original splashdown location reported the conditions Brandli and Houston had predicted.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stripes.com/news/they-would-get-killed-the-weather-forecast-that-saved-apollo-11-1.590922|title='They would get killed': The weather forecast that saved Apollo 11|website=Stars and Stripes|access-date=July 22, 2019|archive-date=July 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726072946/https://www.stripes.com/news/they-would-get-killed-the-weather-forecast-that-saved-apollo-11-1.590922|url-status=live}}</ref>

During [[splashdown]], ''Columbia'' landed upside down but was righted within ten minutes by flotation bags activated by the astronauts.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|pp=164–167}} A diver from the Navy helicopter hovering above attached a [[sea anchor]] to prevent it from drifting.{{sfn|Carmichael|2010|pp=184–185}} More divers attached flotation collars to stabilize the module and positioned rafts for astronaut extraction.{{sfn|Carmichael|2010|pp=186–188}}

{{multiple image
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 | image1 = President Nixon welcomes the Apollo 11 astronauts aboard the U.S.S. Hornet.jpg
 | caption1 = Crew of Apollo 11 in [[quarantine]] after returning to Earth, visited by Richard Nixon

 | image2 = Apollo 11 Mobile Quarantine Facility at the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center in 2009.jpg
 | caption2 = Apollo 11 Mobile Quarantine Facility on display at the [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]] in [[Virginia]] in 2009
}}
The divers then passed biological isolation garments (BIGs) to the astronauts, and assisted them into the life raft. The possibility of bringing back [[pathogen]]s from the lunar surface was considered remote, but NASA took precautions at the recovery site. The astronauts were rubbed down with a [[sodium hypochlorite]] solution and ''Columbia'' wiped with [[Povidone-iodine]] to remove any lunar dust that might be present. The astronauts were winched on board the recovery helicopter. BIGs were worn until they reached isolation facilities on board ''Hornet''. The raft containing decontamination materials was intentionally sunk.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|pp=164–167}}

After touchdown on ''Hornet'' at 17:53 UTC, the helicopter was lowered by the elevator into the hangar bay, where the astronauts walked the {{convert|30|ft|m}} to the [[mobile quarantine facility]] (MQF), where they would begin the Earth-based portion of their 21 days of quarantine.{{sfn|Carmichael|2010|pp=199–200}} This practice would continue for two more Apollo missions, Apollo 12 and [[Apollo 14]], before the Moon was proven to be barren of life, and the quarantine process dropped.{{sfn|Johnston|Dietlein|Berry|1975|pp=406–424}}<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-368/s5ch1.htm|title=The Lunar Quarantine Program|journal=Biomedical Results of Apollo |date=January 1975 |volume=NASA-SP-368 |id=SP-368|access-date=September 6, 2019|archive-date=July 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714121926/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-368/s5ch1.htm|url-status=live |last1=Johnston |first1=Richard S. |last2=Dietlein |first2=Lawrence F. |last3=Berry |first3=Charles A. |last4=James f. Parker |first4=Jr |last5=West |first5=Vita |last6=Jones |first6=Walton L. }}</ref> Nixon welcomed the astronauts back to Earth. He told them: "[A]<!-- lowercase in source -->s a result of what you've done, the world has never been closer together before."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-apollo-11-astronauts-aboard-the-uss-hornet-following-completion-their-lunar |access-date=November 19, 2018 |title=Remarks to Apollo 11 Astronauts Aboard the U.S.S. Hornet Following Completion of Their Lunar Mission |work=The American Presidency Project |publisher=UC Santa Barbara |date=July 24, 1969 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726072005/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-apollo-11-astronauts-aboard-the-uss-hornet-following-completion-their-lunar |url-status=live }}</ref>

After Nixon departed, ''Hornet'' was brought alongside the {{convert|5|ST|adj=on}} ''Columbia'', which was lifted aboard by the ship's crane, placed on a [[Dolly (trailer)|dolly]] and moved next to the MQF. It was then attached to the MQF with a flexible tunnel, allowing the lunar samples, film, data tapes and other items to be removed. ''Hornet'' returned to Pearl Harbor, where the MQF was loaded onto a [[Lockheed C-141 Starlifter]] and airlifted to the Manned Spacecraft Center. The astronauts arrived at the [[Lunar Receiving Laboratory]] at 10:00 UTC on July 28. ''Columbia'' was taken to [[Ford Island]] for deactivation, and its pyrotechnics made safe. It was then taken to [[Hickham Air Force Base]], from whence it was flown to Houston in a [[Douglas C-133 Cargomaster]], reaching the Lunar Receiving Laboratory on July 30.{{sfn|Mission Evaluation Team|1969|pp=166, 171–173}}

In accordance with the [[Extra-Terrestrial Exposure Law]], a set of regulations promulgated by NASA on July 16 to codify its quarantine protocol,<ref>Extra-Terrestrial Exposure, 34 [[Federal Register]] 11975 (July 16, 1969), ''codified at'' [[Federal Aviation Regulation]] pt. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7rU5AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA94 1200] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522063235/https://books.google.com/books?id=7rU5AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA94 |date=May 22, 2021 }}</ref> the astronauts continued in quarantine. After three weeks in confinement (first in the Apollo spacecraft, then in their trailer on ''Hornet'', and finally in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory), the astronauts were given a clean bill of health.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nasaexplores.com/extras/apollo11/hirasaki.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20060319184027/http://www.nasaexplores.com/extras/apollo11/hirasaki.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 19, 2006 |title=A Front Row Seat For History |date=July 15, 2004 |work=NASAexplores |publisher=NASA |access-date=June 14, 2013}}</ref> On August 10, 1969, the Interagency Committee on Back Contamination met in Atlanta and lifted the quarantine on the astronauts, on those who had joined them in quarantine (NASA physician [[William Carpentier]] and MQF project engineer [[John Hirasaki]]),{{sfn|Carmichael|2010|p=118}} and on ''Columbia'' itself. Loose equipment from the spacecraft remained in isolation until the lunar samples were released for study.{{sfn|Ertel|Newkirk|Brooks|1978|p=312}}

=== Celebrations ===

[[File:Apollo 11 ticker tape parade 1.jpg|thumb|Ticker tape parade in New York City]]

On August 13, the three astronauts rode in [[ticker-tape parade]]s in their honor in New York and Chicago, with an estimated six million attendees.<ref name="LADinner">{{cite web |title=Richard Nixon: Remarks at a Dinner in Los Angeles Honoring the Apollo 11 Astronauts |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-dinner-los-angeles-honoring-the-apollo-11-astronauts |website=The American Presidency Project |access-date=October 24, 2017 |date=August 13, 1969 |archive-date=May 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514120049/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-dinner-los-angeles-honoring-the-apollo-11-astronauts |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27531303/the_evening_sun/|title=President Offers Toast to 'Three Brave Men'|newspaper=The Evening Sun|date=August 14, 1969|page=1|location=Baltimore, Maryland|via=Newspapers.com|agency=Associated Press|access-date=January 23, 2019|archive-date=April 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419103143/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27531303/the_evening_sun/|url-status=live}}</ref> On the same evening in Los Angeles there was an official [[state dinner]] to celebrate the flight, attended by members of Congress, 44 governors, [[Chief Justice of the United States]] [[Warren E. Burger]] and his predecessor, [[Earl Warren]], and ambassadors from 83 nations at the [[Century Plaza Hotel]]. Nixon and Agnew honored each astronaut with a presentation of the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]].<ref name="LADinner" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27531557/the_honolulu_advertiser/|title=Astronauts Awed by the Acclaim|newspaper=The Honolulu Advertiser|location=Honolulu, Hawaii|page=1|date=August 14, 1969|last1=Smith|first1=Merriman|agency=UPI|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 23, 2019|archive-date=April 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419103552/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27531557/the_honolulu_advertiser/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The three astronauts spoke before a [[joint session of the United States Congress|joint session of Congress]] on September 16, 1969. They presented two US flags, one to the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] and the other to the [[United States Senate|Senate]], that they had carried with them to the surface of the Moon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35693 |title=The Apollo 11 Crew Members Appear Before a Joint Meeting of Congress |access-date=March 3, 2018 |publisher=United States House of Representatives |archive-date=March 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304231417/http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35693 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[flag of American Samoa]] on Apollo 11 is on display at the [[Jean P. Haydon Museum]] in Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fodors.com/world/australia-and-the-pacific/american-samoa/things-to-do/sights/reviews/jean-p-haydon-museum-584573 |title=Jean P. Haydon Museum |publisher=Fodor's Travel |access-date=March 5, 2018 |archive-date=October 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023230753/http://www.fodors.com/world/australia-and-the-pacific/american-samoa/things-to-do/sights/reviews/jean-p-haydon-museum-584573 |url-status=live }}</ref>

This celebration began a 38-day world tour that brought the astronauts to 22 countries and included visits with many world leaders.<ref name="Apollo 11 Crew Starts World Tour">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27494178/the_logan_daily_news/|title=Apollo 11 Crew Starts World Tour|agency=Associated Press|date=September 29, 1969|page=1|location=Logan, Ohio|newspaper=Logan Daily News|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 23, 2019|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327161210/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27494178/the_logan_daily_news/|url-status=live}}</ref> The crew toured from September 29 to November 5.<ref name="Apollo 11 Crew Starts World Tour" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27529119/the_los_angeles_times/|title=Japan's Sato Gives Medals to Apollo Crew|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 5, 1969|page=20|location=Los Angeles, California|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 23, 2019|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327161140/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27529119/the_los_angeles_times/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27529322/the_sydney_morning_herald/|title=Australia Welcomes Apollo 11 Heroes|date=November 1, 1969|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|location=Sydney, New South Wales|page=1|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 23, 2019|archive-date=January 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123071612/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27529322/the_sydney_morning_herald/|url-status=live}}</ref> The world tour started in Mexico City and ended in Tokyo.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Uri |first=John |date=November 5, 2019 |title=50 Years Ago: Apollo 11 Astronauts Return from Around the World Goodwill Tour |url=https://www.nasa.gov/history/50-years-ago-apollo-11-astronauts-return-from-around-the-world-goodwill-tour/ |access-date=December 25, 2023 |website=NASA}}</ref> Stops on the tour in order were: [[Mexico City]], [[Bogotá|Bogota]], Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, [[Las Palmas]] in the [[Canary Islands]], Madrid, Paris, [[Amsterdam]], Brussels, [[Oslo]], [[Cologne]], Berlin, London, [[Rome]], Belgrade, [[Ankara]], [[Kinshasa]], [[Tehran]], [[Mumbai]], [[Dhaka]], [[Bangkok]], [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], [[Sydney]], [[Guam]], [[Seoul]], Tokyo and [[Honolulu]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Scientific and Technical Information Branch, National Aeronautics and Space Administration |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RtW-GMUfcFcC |title=Astronautics and Aeronautics: Chronology of Science, Technology, and Policy |year=1970 |pages=312 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Many nations honored the first human [[Moon landing]] with special features in magazines or by issuing Apollo 11 commemorative postage stamps or coins.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lunarhall.org/missions/apollo/11.html |title=Lunar Missions: Apollo 11 |date=2008 |website=Lunar Hall of Fame |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024222503/http://www.lunarhall.org/missions/apollo/11.html |archive-date=October 24, 2008 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 9, 2014}}</ref>