Lunar Module Eagle

Lunar Module Eagle (LM-5) is the spacecraft that served as the crewed lunar lander of Apollo 11, which was the first mission to land humans on the Moon. It was named after the bald eagle, which was featured prominently on the mission insignia. It flew from Earth to lunar orbit on the command module Columbia, and then was flown to the Moon on July 20, 1969, by astronaut Neil Armstrong with navigational assistance from Buzz Aldrin. Eagle's landing created Tranquility Base, named by Armstrong and Aldrin and first announced upon the module's touchdown.

Eagle
Part of Apollo 11
Eagle at Tranquility Base, July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong photographs Buzz Aldrin.
Type	Lunar module
Class	Apollo Lunar Module
Manufacturer	Grumman
Specifications
Launch mass	33,294.5 lb (15,102.1 kg)[1]
History
Deployed	July 20, 1969; 55 years ago (July 20, 1969)
Fate	Ascent stage: Abandoned in lunar orbit; impact location unknown Descent stage: Landed at Tranquility Base; still there

The name of the craft gave rise to the phrase "The Eagle has landed", the words Armstrong said upon Eagle's touchdown.^[2]

Flight

Main article: Apollo 11

Eagle was launched with Command Module Columbia on July 16, 1969, atop a Saturn V launch vehicle from Launch Complex 39A, and entered Earth orbit 12 minutes later.

Eagle entered lunar orbit on July 19, 1969. On July 20, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin entered into the LM and separated it from Command Module Columbia.

Eagle was landed at 20:17:40 UTC on July 20, 1969, with 216 pounds (98 kg) of usable fuel remaining.

After the lunar surface operations, Armstrong and Aldrin returned to the Lunar Module Eagle on July 21, 1969.

At 17:54:00 UTC, they lifted off in Eagle's ascent stage to rejoin Michael Collins aboard Columbia in lunar orbit.

After the crew re-boarded Columbia, the Eagle was abandoned in lunar orbit. The location of its impact on the Moon's surface during an orbit decay is unknown, and there is evidence that Eagle may still be in orbit.^[3][4]

Gallery

• 
  Lunar Module Eagle prior to extraction from S-IVB stage on July 16, 1969.
• Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land the Lunar Module Eagle on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
• 
  The plaque left on the ladder of Eagle.
• 
  Ascent stage of Eagle returns to Columbia on July 21, 1969.
• 
  Apollo 11 50th Anniversary commemorative silver dollar depicting Eagle

See also

• List of artificial objects on the Moon
• List of crewed lunar landers

Notes

References

1. "Selected Mission Weights". history.nasa.gov. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
2. Cresswell, J. (2007). The Cat's Pyjamas: The Penguin Book of Clichés. Penguin Books Limited. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-14-102516-2. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
3. "Location of Apollo Lunar Modules". Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
4. Discover magazine website, July 2021

Further reading

• Benson, Charles D.; Faherty, William B. (1978). Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations (PDF). Washington, D.C.: NASA. p. 472. SP-4204. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
• "Scientific Experiments". Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
• "LRO Sees Apollo Landing Sites". NASA. July 17, 2009. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
• Meador, James (2021). "Long-term Orbit Stability of the Apollo 11 "Eagle" Lunar Module Ascent Stage". arXiv:2105.10088 [physics.space-ph].
• Jones, Eric M., ed. (1995). "One Small Step". Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal. NASA. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
• Jones, Eric M., ed. (1995). "Trying to Rest". Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal. NASA. Retrieved June 13, 2013.