Editing Apollo 11 (section)

=== 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>