Lunar Module Eagle

Eagle
Part of Apollo 11
Eagle on the Tranquility Base on July 20, 1969
Type	Lunar module
Class	Apollo Lunar Module
Manufacturer	Grumman
Specifications
Launch mass	33,294.5 lb (15,102.1 kg)
History
Fate	Ascent stage: Unknown; either crashed on the Moon or in lunar orbit Descent stage: Landed on the Tranquility Base

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.

Flight

Main article: Apollo 11

Eagle was launched with comman 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.

In 2021, some calculations by the physicist James Meador showed that Eagle could theoretically still be in lunar orbit.

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.

See also

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

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. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
• "LRO Sees Apollo Landing Sites". NASA. July 17, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
• Meador, James (2021). "Long-term Orbit Stability of the Apollo 11 "Eagle" Lunar Module Ascent Stage" (PDF). arXiv:2105.10088.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• 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.
• "Location of Apollo Lunar Modules". Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Retrieved September 24, 2018.