On a desolate, lifeless moon, a grotesque aircraft quietly stopped in the dazzling sunlight. Its four slender legs have a small card inlaid with a piece of stainless steel, which reads:
1July, 969
Man on earth set foot on the moon for the first time. We came here peacefully on behalf of all mankind. The abandoned lower part of this aircraft, the lunar module, is a monument to the historical event that took place on July 20th, 1969, and it is a masterpiece of American Apollo moon landing. On that day, two American astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin printed human footprints on the moon for the first time. This monument will stay there forever, because there is no wind or water on the moon to erase it.
The great Apollo moon landing program
1961April 12, something happened that made Americans angry: Soviet astronaut Gagarin went into space for the first time. American President Kennedy, who had just been woken up from bed, was shocked when he learned the news, because it showed that the Soviet Union was one step ahead of the United States in space technology, which meant that the United States was at a disadvantage in scientific and technological competition. "This is another great shame for the American nation after the Soviet Union's first artificial earth satellite went to heaven!" Kennedy said angrily. In order to meet the space challenge of the Soviet Union, Americans are determined to revive the glory of their former technological and military leadership at all costs. Kennedy called the heads of relevant departments of the United States to discuss countermeasures and announced: "The United States will eventually land on the moon first." 1961On May 25th, in a special speech entitled "National Emergency", Kennedy proposed to send Americans to the moon within 10 years. He said, "I believe Congress will agree that Americans must be sent to the moon and returned safely by the end of this year, 10", and "the prestige of the whole country is at stake". As a result, NASA made the famous Apollo moon landing plan. Apollo is the sun god in charge of poetry and music in ancient Greek myths and legends. It is said that he is luna's brother and sister, and once killed a python with a golden arrow to avenge his mother. It is conceivable that the American government chose this sun god who can avenge himself to name the moon landing program. However, it is not easy to build such a moon landing spacecraft. Two months later, American scientists put forward four plans for Apollo's moon landing program, namely, direct landing on the moon, earth-orbit rendezvous, refueling plane and lunar rendezvous. However, every subsequent plan shows that there are various problems that are difficult to solve. While American scientists and heads of government were hesitating, an engineer named John C. Ciobota of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States put forward the fifth scheme-"Lunar Orbit Rendezvous". The point of this method is to launch a Saturn with 7.5 million pounds of thrust from the earth? The No.5 rocket pushed the Apollo spacecraft with three astronauts on board to the moon. Apollo spacecraft flew around the moon, but the whole spacecraft did not land on the moon, but separated a small lunar module. The lunar module took two astronauts to the surface of the moon by retrograde rocket, and the third astronaut stayed on the spacecraft. When his two companions were exploring the surface of the moon, he flew all the way around the moon. When the exploration was completed, two astronauts on the moon triggered the rocket on the lunar module and reunited with the spacecraft. Three astronauts took a spaceship and triggered a rocket to return to Earth. Therefore, scientists decided to adopt the method of "lunar orbit rendezvous". In order to realize this grand plan, NASA scientists and engineers will design and build a spaceship "Apollo", which is similar in size to a locomotive. In order to launch this spaceship, a rocket as long as a football field will be built. In addition, scientists will also build a large space center-Moon Harbor, which will have workshops, laboratories and offices, and set up a series of tracking stations around the world; They will also set up a training center for astronauts, which will have a "moon landing simulator".
Careful preparation
In order to make the Apollo moon landing plan go smoothly, American President Kennedy personally asked questions and gave full protection in manpower and material resources. Air Force Lieutenant General Philip was appointed as the head of Apollo moon landing program, and George Hager, executive director of NASA headquarters, was appointed as his assistant. In order to prepare for manned landing on the moon, the Apollo spacecraft will first carry out ground simulation tests and unmanned flight tests, then carry people into lunar orbit and finally fly to the moon for on-the-spot investigation. From 196 1 to 1969, American astronauts made 20 experimental preparation flights for their trip to the moon. First of all, it takes a small "Mercury" spaceship, which is about 3 meters long and can only take 1 person. The "Mercury" spacecraft has made many flights and achieved exciting results. The first time was in john glenn, using a three-tier track, which took five hours. When the spacecraft flew in the last orbit, the automatic control system suddenly failed, but john glenn was calm and controlled the spacecraft with his hands, and finally the spacecraft safely sailed back to Earth. This flight shows that people can live in space for many hours, and the space environment has no harm to people's health and spirit. If the automatic control system fails, the spacecraft can be manipulated by people themselves. On the last flight of Mercury, Gordon Cooper circled the earth 22 times. He finished some space experiments: on one track, he threw a glass ball with a bright signal light on it, and then he found the light from the signal light on the second track, and he saw it clearly. This is the content of the experiment on human vision as planned. Then, a strong flashing signal came from a city in South America. Cooper also saw the light and marked its position on the map. 1965, astronauts made a longer and bolder flight in Gemini spacecraft, which was about twice as large and heavy as Mercury spacecraft, and each spacecraft could carry two people. During the Gemini flight, the astronauts tried and practiced various technologies in the Apollo program. Then the experiment of Apollo spacecraft orbit change was carried out, and John Young and Virgit Gleason mastered this technology for the first time. In another flight, astronaut edward white was tied with a long rope, and the other end was tied to a spaceship, guided by a special instrument. He actually floated in space for 20 minutes.
Apollo landed on the moon successfully.
He laughed loudly and said something happy from time to time, which made him feel very interested. If his partner James McDivert hadn't urged him to come back quickly, he might have stayed for a long time. This experiment shows that people can not only leave the spaceship, but also return to it safely. Gemini's flight ended in June, 1966, 1 1. American astronauts have studied and practiced all the complicated techniques of flying to the moon, and their experimental results have answered many questions that puzzle scientists and doctors. However, just when Americans were full of confidence, a sad accident happened. 1967 65438+1October 27th, when is Apollo? In the simulated launch test of 1, due to the sudden fire in the pure oxygen cockpit, 3 1 year-old Navy Major roger chaffee, 36-year-old Air Force Lieutenant Colonel edward white and Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Gleason were killed. As a result, the Apollo program was forced to be postponed. The moon landing plan is too dangerous. Can it still be implemented? People can't help asking such questions. But the astronauts were not intimidated by this accident. Gleason's words echoed in their ears and always inspired them: "If we die, we hope everyone will treat it as an ordinary thing. What we are doing is an adventure, and we hope that in case of an accident, we will not delay the plan. Conquering space is worth risking your life. " 1June, 968, Apollo test flight began. Walter Shearer, Don Eisele and Walter Cunningham spent nearly 1 1 day in space and circled the earth 163 times without any trouble. "Apollo" worked well and the astronauts were very happy. They talked and laughed with the control center. 101On October 22nd, the spaceship splashed down on the choppy sea in the south of Bermuda. Two months later, Frank Baumann, James Love and William Ender took Apollo? Spacecraft 8 flew around the moon for the first time. They went into orbit around the moon on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day, they thought of their relatives at home, hoping to see their wives and children, open presents happily, and also thought of the Christmas family dinner that they could not attend. However, this is impossible. They can only open a bag of delicious food hung by a rope, and there is a congratulatory message outside-"Merry Christmas". They passed the orbit around the moon 10, and then returned to Earth safely. In the third "Apollo" test flight, astronauts also practiced the fixed-point rendezvous and docking technology around the earth. On the last test flight, they practiced these events in orbit around the moon. When the Apollo spacecraft circled the moon, the astronauts tested the landing system-the lunar module. Eugene Cernan and Tom Stafford entered the lunar module and descended to a distance of only15km from the moon, while john young stayed in the command module. The lunar module skimmed the surface of the moon several times at a speed of 6000 kilometers per hour. However, when the lunar module passed the lunar surface for the second time, the explosion bolt suddenly exploded due to a wrong installation of a control switch, and the lower part of the lunar module was automatically thrown away, making the upper part rotate quickly and bump back and forth. Cernan exclaimed and swore, "Son of a bitch! What the hell happened? " Stafford thinks there is something wrong with the autopilot. He manipulated it with his hands. It takes about 1 minute for the spacecraft to stabilize. Finally, the lunar module flew back and docked with Apollo again. So far, scientists have collected the necessary information about the surface of the moon and tested its strength. They found that in every area tested, the surface of the moon was enough to bear the weight of the Apollo lunar module landing system. The probe also took thousands of photos of the moon and sent them back to Earth. These photos reflect the positions of all the hills, mountains and deep and dangerous craters on the moon.
Set foot on the road to the moon
While exploring the road to the moon, hundreds of engineers in the United States assembled a large lunar spacecraft, Apollo? 1 1. This is a very arduous project. It is about 25 meters long and weighs about 45 tons. Saturn? Rocket 5 is 85 meters long and weighs about 2700 tons. There are hundreds of factories that only manufacture various parts of spacecraft, rockets and their instruments. The manufacturing factory has sent all the components of the spacecraft by land and water to the space center-Moon Harbor, where there is the largest workshop in the world, and people vertically assemble all the components of rockets and spacecraft on that high platform. It is not easy to transport the lunar spacecraft from the workshop to the launch site 7 kilometers away. Cranes and lunar spacecraft weigh about 8000 tons, and they must be transported vertically and smoothly. Therefore, scientists built two large transport vehicles 44 meters long and 38 meters wide. In order to bear great pressure, a wide and solid road was specially built, and the pavement was paved with more than 2 meters of concrete. However, when the crawler truck transported it to the launch site, the cement pavement was still nearly 3 cm deep. At the launch site, a huge concrete launch pad stands upright with a lunar spacecraft, with a height of 1 10 meter, just like a 36-story building. After years of hard work, "Apollo" finally ushered in a decisive moment. 1969 In the early morning of July 16, under the gray sky, a sharp arrow, "Saturn", stood on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. Launch vehicle 5 and Apollo? Spaceship 1 1. At about 6: 30, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins came to the Space Center, boarded the tower of the mobile launch pad and walked into the cabin. At this time, a large group of engineers have tested more than 2 million working parts on the rocket Saturn with electronic instruments? Rocket 5 has been filled with nearly 500 million liters of fuel. In the duty room of the control center, there are more than 4,000 scientists, engineers and some astronauts who have flown in space. They will study the flight process of Apollo and help solve various possible problems. The commander is giving orders to the astronauts by radio and observing their activities through the TV screen. Finally, all the experiments and preparations have been completed, and a great journey in human history is about to begin! The people in the control center sat in front of the screen and counted the time. A large group of people outside suddenly became silent and looked up at the huge spaceship.
Apollo landed on the moon successfully.
On the earth, nearly 2 billion people are eagerly watching TV screens, waiting for an exciting moment. The countdown has started:10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1,take off! At 9: 32 in the morning, in the smoke like volcanic eruption, "Saturn"? The fifth rocket rose trembling in the air, dragging more than 500 meters of orange flame and smoke away from the launcher. Then, the 38 17 ton aircraft struggled to overcome the gravity of the earth, slowly flew away from the launch pad, flew across the Atlantic Ocean in an arc orbit, and put Apollo on the plane? The spaceship 1 1 was sent to the moon. "We are in the air!" A commander announced. For the arrival of this moment, people who waited all night waved and cheered, and millions of voices shouted happily: "Go up! Get up! Everything goes well and bon voyage! " President Nixon, who watched the take-off by the TV in Washington, was also very excited. He declared four days later as the national lunar exploration day, and advocated that Americans have a day off that day. He said: "In the past, exploration was a lonely undertaking, but now, the miracle of space travel matches the miracle of space communication. Even far away from the moon, TV can still transmit the moment of discovery to our home, so that all of us can be there. Because astronauts go to places that humans have never been, they try things that humans have never tried. On earth, like a family, we must join them in spirit, enjoy the glory and miracle, and pray for them all the best. " The lunar spacecraft continued to rise in the air, spraying yellow smoke and steam clouds ... The pressure inside the spacecraft was great, and the crew lay in armchairs, observing various instruments. At first, they felt very uncomfortable, but after a minute or two, the pressure began to drop and they gradually felt relaxed. With the increase of speed, the powerful Saturn? The fifth rocket rushed out of the earth's atmosphere, and the first stage rocket took "Apollo" through the densest gas area. At this time, the speed has reached 9600 kilometers per hour. In the air 64 kilometers above the ground, the first stage rocket burned. The second stage rocket pushed the spacecraft to an altitude of 160 km, and the speed was increased to 24,000 km per hour. Then, the last stage rose a little, bringing Apollo into orbit around the earth. It stayed on the parking orbit with the spacecraft, and the engine was temporarily shut down. "Saturn? No.5 is in good condition. " Armstrong reported to the ground command center. Astronauts use stars to determine their position and check whether the road to the moon is correct. Then, they checked all the instruments and electronic systems in the spacecraft and found no problems. The command center gave them an order: "Go to the moon!" The last stage rocket engine started again at the absolutely right moment. It "burned" for about 5 minutes, increasing the speed of the spacecraft to 40,000 kilometers per hour, so "Apollo" was shot into space again. The astronauts continued their March to the moon. After being busy, the astronauts began to relax. They took off their spacesuits and put on comfortable flight overalls. Then, they mixed the dry food in the plastic bag with water and had their first meal in space. People on the ground always pay attention to the three astronauts in space. There are 14 tracking stations all over the world. Ships, boats and planes are tracking this spaceship and reporting its position to the command center. The commanders watched the progress of Apollo through the screen and issued all the important orders and suggestions to the astronauts. The astronauts also told the commander about their experiences. Collins described the scenery he saw from the spaceship: "The earth looks really great," he said. "We clearly see many countries. Really beautiful, really beautiful! " On the afternoon of the third day, 19, the crew put on their spacesuits again and prepared to enter the lunar orbit. The TV camera began to work, showing the work of the astronauts in the spaceship on the screen. Millions of people watching TV are in high spirits, and everyone admires the calm demeanor of astronauts. Unpredictable and great dangers lie ahead, but these people are fearless. When Apollo entered the back of the moon, its communication with the control center was interrupted. Now, the crew of Apollo will put the spacecraft into orbit on the back of the moon. This is an arduous task, but the command center can do nothing but wait and pray that nothing will happen. Apollo is sailing at an extremely fast speed and must slow down to enter the lunar orbit. Therefore, the astronauts ignited the engine in the service module, generating a reverse thrust. If the engine is not ignited, the spacecraft will not enter orbit and will only return to Earth. If the engine burns for too long, the speed will drop too low and the spacecraft will crash on the moon. Therefore, this is an extremely dangerous job! The people in the ground command center waited anxiously. They looked at the time silently and looked serious. Every minute is as slow as an hour. After 25 minutes, people finally heard Aldrin's calm voice on the radio. He just said, "OK, everything is fine!" " "Apollo11finally entered parking orbit around the moon safely, and the people in the control center breathed a sigh of relief. The moon spacecraft has sailed nearly 500 thousand kilometers, and it is a miracle that it arrived at the moon only three minutes later than the original time.
The first footprint on the moon
Astronauts now see the close-up of the moon for the first time. They looked out of the window, but the color there was gray. Soon after, Apollo flew over the landing site, and Armstrong reported, "It looks dark down there." The staff turned on the TV camera and showed people all over the world the face of the moon mountains and craters. The time is1July 20th, 969. Armstrong and Aldrin are about to make a human attempt to land on the moon. They smiled and said to Collins, "Hey, we're leaving. We'll be back soon. Wait for us. Don't go. " Collins also smiled. He wished them good luck. Armstrong and Aldrin made a "V" shape with their thumb and forefinger, and then entered the lunar module. On July 2 1, Commander Armstrong, as an emissary of mankind, took the lead in climbing out of the hatch and set foot on the mysterious land of the moon for the first time, which took a huge step towards conquering space. At this time, he said the long-awaited first sentence: "This is a small step for human beings, but it is a huge leap for mankind!" Armstrong examined the surface of the moon and found it solid and safe. He raised his foot and left a mark on the residual soil on the surface of the moon, but his footprints were only a fraction of a centimeter deep. Don't forget, his weight is only one sixth of his weight on earth. 18 minutes later, Aldrin also set foot on the moon and met his friends. He jumped up and down on the moon and the escalator happily. He shouted, "Ah, beauty, beauty!" Two astronauts began to try to walk on the moon. Their first little attempt was very interesting. Because they are almost in weightlessness, they lose their sense of balance and don't know where their steps will take them. They stagger, as if as drunk as a fiddler. However, the training in the simulator helped them overcome the difficulties quickly and they floated confidently. They picked up some small stones and threw them far away to see what would happen. Unexpectedly, the stone jumped into the air like a ball, and the two of them burst out laughing. "That's interesting." Astronauts set up TV cameras on the moon and held a small ceremony next to the lunar module. They placed a metal memorial plaque on the moon, and then inserted an American flag woven with nylon near the lunar module, which was 1.5 meters long and 0.9 meters wide. In order to make the star-spangled banner look like it is flying in the wind on the windless moon, they specially stretched it through the action of a spring-shaped metal wire. As soon as the national flag was hoisted, US President Nixon spoke to the people on the moon by telephone. Commander Armstrong replied, "It is a great honor for us to be here." The astronauts took out the equipment for the three scientific experiments to be done. They installed "seismograph" and "laser reflector" to monitor any physical disturbance that the moon may suffer, such as meteorite impact and lunar earthquake, and send it back to Earth by radio. These physical disturbances will help scientists understand what the moon is made of. A laser reflector reflects a beam of light to the earth. With this beam of light, scientists can measure small changes in the distance between the earth and the moon. They also erected a thin aluminum plate to catch particles flying from the sun and bring them back to the earth so that scientists can analyze them. The result may explain the formation of the sun and planets. Armstrong and Aldrin collected samples of shore stones and residual soil on the moon for scientists. They can pick up stones with a special tool without bending over. After taking pictures of each rock, they put them in a special bag and then put them all in an aluminum box. Now, the astronauts have finished their work on the moon. They put away the aluminum plates that absorb the solar wind and put them in bags. They looked around for a while and reluctantly thought, "We will never come here again." Then they climbed into the lunar module and closed the hatch. When two astronauts were working on the moon, at a height of 1 10 km, michaeljohn collins was flying around the moon alone in the main body of the spacecraft. Since the birth of mankind, poor Collins is undoubtedly the loneliest person.
"You're finished."
Armstrong and Aldrin are leaving the moon. Taking off from the moon is as dangerous as landing, but it may actually be more dangerous. Because there is only a small rocket engine to launch the lunar module, this engine will make the lunar module leave the moon, take it to a height of 20 thousand meters and bring it into orbit. If the rocket fails, Armstrong and Aldrin will have to stay on the moon and wait to die. Rescue is impossible. Once the oxygen runs out ... the command center orders the launch, everyone is waiting anxiously, and some people are worried that they will break out in a cold sweat. Aldrin calmly counted down the number: 5-4-3-2- 1. Armstrong pressed the button, the engine ignited, and the lunar module took off instantly, leaving the bottom-four legs and a memorial board on the moon. The lunar module left the moon with two people on board. The faster it flies, the higher it goes into orbit. Delin shouted, "Great! Very smooth, flying too well! " The ground commander wiped the sweat from his face, breathed a sigh of relief and said excitedly, "The whole world is proud of you!" " "The astronauts stayed on the moon for 2 1 hour 18 minutes and collected 22 kilograms of lunar soil and rock samples as souvenirs of this space trip. They docked the two modules to form Apollo again? Spaceship 1 1, three astronauts meet again, they have completed their mission, and it is time to return to earth. On July 22nd, astronauts began their long journey back to Earth. The lunar module has completed its mission, so they untied it and threw it into space. Armstrong and Aldrin are reluctant to part. After all, they had an unforgettable time in this cabin. They really want to take it home, but it's impossible. They waved goodbye to the lunar module and prepared to leave the lunar orbit. This is another anxious moment. If the engine of the spacecraft breaks down, Apollo will continue to fly around the moon, so they will never be able to go home. In fact, the engine worked well, and it kicked the spacecraft out of the orbit around the moon, so the spacecraft began to fly to the earth along the curved passage.
The journey home was smooth, and the astronauts only corrected the angle of the flight path once without any difficulty. When Apollo approached the earth, the astronauts abandoned the service module and then turned the command module around so that the heat shield faced the earth. All this is within the monitoring range of the ground command and control center. At noon on July 28th, "Apollo"? The spaceship 1 1 traversed the atmosphere according to a carefully designed route and an accurately calculated angle. Suddenly, the radio communication between Apollo and the command center was interrupted, and there was an anxious silence in the control center. Everyone is waiting anxiously. Are these people still alive? Are they safe? Did the spaceship burn up when it rushed into the atmosphere? Three minutes later, a small red light appeared in the distance in the air-it was "Apollo"! After a while, the astronaut's voice came again: "We are descending steadily." The landing parachute opened, the speed of the spacecraft dropped to 35 kilometers per hour, and Apollo slowly descended and landed safely in the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. From launch to landing, "Apollo" flew nearly 1 10,000 kilometers, lasting 195 hours 18 minutes and 22 seconds, and returned to Earth only later than the scheduled time 10 seconds! On the USS Bumblebee, 20 kilometers from the splash point, US President Nixon is waiting for the astronauts to return. Two helicopters flew near the splash point and took the astronauts to the aircraft carrier. Nixon extended warm congratulations to the astronauts: "This is the greatest week in world history since the creation of the world. Thanks to your efforts, the world has never been so close. "
"Apollo spirit"
In the following years, the United States launched Apollo in one breath? Six manned spacecraft from 12 to 17 explored the moon. * * * Space astronaut 2 1 person, successfully landed on the moon 12 person, and stayed on the moon for 298 hours! 1969165438+1October, Apollo? The spaceship 12 landed in another part of the moon for the second time. Two astronauts who landed on the moon left the lunar module twice, walked on the moon, made more important experiments and collected more rocks and lunar residual soil. Seven months later, Apollo? The 13 spacecraft once again carried three astronauts to the moon, but they failed to complete the task due to the failure of the spacecraft. After flying in space for three and a half days, they landed safely in the Pacific Ocean. 197 1 year, Apollo? Spacecraft 14 entered orbit around the moon, and two of them landed safely on the moon. They also took a stroller and walked on the moon for nearly 3 kilometers. There was also a small entertainment on the moon-playing golf. A few months later, Apollo? Spaceship 15 brought a special car to the moon. This 3-meter-long "lunar rover" is driven by electricity. Two astronauts lived on the moon for three days. Every day, they explore different places in a "lunar rover", conduct many scientific experiments with the instruments on the vehicle, and collect a lot of rocks with the vehicle. 1972 March, "Apollo"? 16 stayed on the moon for another three days. In the same year, 65438+February, Apollo? 17 last flight. They set up a laboratory on the moon. This laboratory has nuclear power and electronic instruments to collect information about the moon and send it back to Earth. Two astronauts explored the moon in a "lunar rover" with a trip of 16 km, which was the longest trip on the moon. So far, the Apollo moon landing program, which lasted 1 1 year, was successful? End. In addition to excitement, some people noticed that the Apollo moon landing program cost the United States a huge price, costing the United States $25 billion, and the average American family had to bear $472! Around * * *, more than 20,000 enterprises, more than 200 universities and more than 80 scientific research institutions participated, with a total number of more than 400,000. On average, the cost of each spacecraft flying to the moon is more expensive than that made of gold 15 times! The samples of rocks and dust brought back by Americans from the moon are 35 times as valuable as diamonds by weight. What practical significance does this costly and technically complex space exploration have for mankind? Some people think that instead of spending tens of billions of dollars on space exploration, it is better to use it to solve some problems on earth. However, most scientists disagree with this view. They think that exploring the moon is by no means unrelated to the problems on earth. After seeing the earth for the first time in space, man realized the fragility of the biological world on earth for the first time. When they arrive at the moon and see that the earth is just an asteroid, the expansion of human vision will inevitably have an impact on themselves and the concept of what they can do. Through the flight to the moon, people get a lot of information about the moon, which is very important for studying the age and structure of the moon. It is scientists who have come to the conclusion that the moon has a history of nearly 5 billion years through the analysis of moon rock samples, and its age is close to that of the earth, even greater than that of the earth. With the understanding of the moon, scientists will try to use the moon directly and set up scientific laboratories on the moon in order to conduct various scientific research and experiments in an air-free environment. Even if the moon can't be used directly, people have benefited a lot from the practice of conquering space. For example, scientists have designed many wonderful new instruments and developed many new materials for inventing spaceships. The practice of flying to the moon made people gain a lot of knowledge about space, effectively improved life on earth, and laid a solid foundation for the later development of space laboratories, space stations and space shuttles. NASA is going to launch an unmanned lunar probe to search for an ice "lake" in the crater-like shadow near the moon's polar regions, so as to provide ready-made water for future lunar settlers.