Apollo 11 was the first manned landing on the moon.
The first moon landing may refer to two different events. The first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon was the unmanned Soviet Union craft Luna 2, which was launched in 1959. The USA's Apollo 11 was the first craft to land people on the Moon in 1969. Both missions resulted in valuable scientific discoveries and data accumulation.
Luna 2 Discoveries
The Soviet Luna 2 was the first unmanned craft to reach the Moon, following the failed attempt of Luna 1. The craft was fitted with instrumentation such as scintillation- and geiger-counters, a magnetometer and micrometeorite detectors, according to NASA. The mission confirmed the existence of solar winds and concluded that the Moon had no appreciable magnetic field or radiation belts.
The Apollo 11 Flight
Apollo 11 was the first manned moon landing, touching down on July 20, 1969. The mission was able to gather physical samples of lunar rocks and soil for analysis back on Earth. The astronauts also took photographs and conducted experiments on the Moon's surface.
Photography
Photographs were taken both aerially on the approach and after landing on the Moon's surface. Some were used to help identify landing sites for future Apollo missions. Others helped to develop a better understanding of the Moon's topography. Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Adrin took a photograph of his own footprint to permit later study of the lunar surface bearing strength.
Physical Samples
Apollo 11 carried the first geologic samples from the Moon back to Earth. These included rocks, fine soil and two core tubes containing material from up to 13 centimeters below the Moon's surface. No water or evidence of living organisms was found in the samples. Some of the rocks were basalts, which are formed from solidified magma. Those found at the Apollo 11 landing site range in age from 3.6 to 3.9 billion years and were formed from at least two chemically different magma sources, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute. Other rocks found were breccias.
Experiments on the Moon
An aluminum foil sheet was deployed on a pole facing the sun to collect solar wind particles. This allowed the chemical composition of the solar wind to be determined. A seismometer was deployed to allow monitoring of lunar "moonquakes." Along with seismometers left on subsequent missions, this helped provide information about the Moon's internal structure. A Laser Ranging Retroreflector was deployed to accurately measure the Moon's distance from Earth. This improved knowledge of the Moon's orbit and the rate at which the Moon is receding from Earth, which is 3.8 centimeters per year, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute.
Tags: Apollo first, Moon surface, according Lunar, according Lunar Planetary, Apollo first manned, back Earth
