The Apollo 11 mission timeline
The Apollo 11 mission, from launch to splashdown, lasted approximately 8 days, 3 hours, and 18 minutes. Here's a breakdown of the mission's timeline:
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Launch: The Apollo 11 mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969, at 13:32 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). The launch vehicle was the Saturn V rocket.
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Lunar Orbit Insertion: The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on July 19, 1969, after traveling for about 76 hours.
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Moonwalk and Lunar Surface Stay: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent a little over 21 hours on the lunar surface, conducting experiments, collecting samples, and exploring. They performed their moonwalk on July 20, 1969.
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Ascent from Moon: The lunar module's ascent stage lifted off from the moon's surface on July 21, 1969, after spending approximately 21 hours on the lunar surface.
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Reunion with Command Module: After reuniting with Michael Collins in the command module, the lunar module's ascent stage was jettisoned. The lunar module then docked with the command module.
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Trans-Earth Injection (TEI): The command module executed the Trans-Earth Injection (TEI) burn on July 21, 1969, to begin the journey back to Earth.
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Re-entry and Splashdown: The command module re-entered Earth's atmosphere on July 24, 1969, and safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 16:50 UTC. The recovery operations were carried out by the USS Hornet.
In total, the Apollo 11 mission took about 195 hours and 18 minutes, or roughly 8 days and 3 hours, from launch to splashdown. This mission was a monumental achievement that marked humanity's first successful landing on the moon and the safe return of the astronauts to Earth.
Cost
The cost of the Apollo 11 mission, which included the entire infrastructure, development, testing, launch, and operational expenses, was estimated to be around $25.4 billion USD at the time. Adjusted for inflation to 2021 dollars, this amount would be approximately $152 billion USD.