Apollo 11: the day the man came to the moon | …

One day as today, 50 years ago, three astronauts were literally thrown into space in the greatest adventure of history to reach another world: at 13:32 UTC (10:32 am ET). Argentina), July 16, 1969, Neil A. Armstrong (39 years old). ), Edwin E. Aldrin Jr (38). and Michael Collins (39) took off in the Apollo XI module
, as called the mission "AS-506", had to reach the lunar surface four days later and go there the next day. The event was broadcast on television from the facilities of Parkes Observatory (Australia) and was followed live by 600 million people around the world, who watched, badimilated, the sequences of this historic arrival.

The flight was launched with the take-off of the module aboard a Saturn V rocket from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral on Merritt Island, Florida. It was the fifth mission of the Apollo Nasa program.

A little over a month earlier, on June 13th, the fuel load of the Saturn engines had started, which was maintained until the load was completed six days later. The fuel concentration was such that the technicians, fearing a leak and an explosion, placed the launch VIPs 5.6 kilometers from the LC-39A platform, from which take-off would take place. They had calculated that a possible explosion could blow up fragments at 4.8 kilometers. The distance traveled by the engines was heard only 15 seconds later by the VIP audience, while the image of Saturn was already clearly rising in the sky.

Saturn as a whole weighed 2.8 million kilos and had a height of 111 meters. The rocket generated 34.5 million newtons of thrust at launch. A Newton is the force needed to provide an acceleration of 1 m / s2 to an object of 1 kg of mbad.

On July 16, the three astronauts were transferred to the ship. When the engines reached 95% of their power, the four hooks that held the rocket attached to the LC-39A platform fell and the Saturn V began its ascent with extreme concern. At this point, engines consumed 15 tonnes of fuel per second.

At 10:32 am in Argentina, Apollo XI technically left the platform and began navigating in space with his three crew members inside, who then began to communicate with the center. Houston Space.

Two minutes and forty seconds later, the four powerful F1 engines used during takeoff broke and five J-2 engines began to operate, which will give more speed and height.

At 0541, the five J-2s took off in Argentina and the energy was concentrated in the turbombas, which further accelerated the ship. Three minutes later, all the ignition mechanisms were off. Apollo XI was already in orbit.