July 20 ? The Apollo 11 Mission

More than four decades ago, humanity witness a first like never before; on July 20, 1969 at 10:56 p.m. a man took the first steps on another world. With more than half a billion people watching on television Neil Armstrong climb down the Apollo 11 ladder and gave his historic words, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

Here at Sani Dental Group, we would you to take a min. to remember the brave crew that change history, to remember one of history greatest moments and all the complications involved into reaching this new frontier.

The Apollo 11 Mission

In the decade of the 60s a race began, the aim of this race was to put a person on the moon. On May 25, 1961 President Kennedy expressed his concerns to Congress, Kennedy felt that the United States was falling behind the Soviet Union in technology and prestige. In addition to expressing his concerns, Kennedy challenged the nation to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. His challenged brought results, on July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 launched from the Kennedy Space Center; this event demonstrated that man ingenuity and efforts had reached a new frontier.

Unfortunately President Kennedy was shot and killed on November 22, 1963; he was unable to see the results of the space race. However his words and faith in the Nation brought decades of technological advancements. Today many will remember July 20 as the day a man took one giant leap for mankind.

The Brave Crew: the Astronauts

The Apollo mission that reached the moon, was the Apollo 11 and its crew was composed of 3 brave astronauts. Neil Armstrong, Commander, Michael Collins, command module pilot; and Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot. Each one of these astronauts had an incredible background, without a doubt these individuals accepted Kennedy challenged and brought a first like never before.

In the case of Neil Armstrong his backgrounded include:

• Navy Service
  • Test pilot
• Space Program
  • Gemini Program
    • Gemini 8
    • Gemini 11
  • Apollo program
    • Apollo 11

In the case of Michael Collins his backgrounded include:

• Military Service
  • Test pilot
• Space Program
  • Project Gemini
    • Gemini 10
  • Apollo Program
    • Apollo 8
    • Apollo 11

In the case of Edwin E. Aldrin Jr his backgrounded include:

• Military Service
• Space Program
  • Project Gemini
    • Gemini 12
  • Apollo Program
    • Apollo 11

Reaching a New Frontier

In order to reach the moon, scientist and researches set out to discover and understand the principles of Rocket Science. To understand how Rockets work we need to understand Newton’s Laws of Motion. Hopefully we won’t lose you, these are Newton’s Laws of Motion:

First Law: Objects at rest remain at rest and objects in motion remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
Second Law: Force equals mass times acceleration (f = ma).
Third Law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Through analyzing Newton’s Laws of Motion, NASA was able to understand that in order to put a man in the moon a “rocket” needed to be created enough thrust to exceed the weight of the rocket. They also needed to determine the proper size and weight. Finally, NASA needed to find a way for the rocket to return to Earth safely. Without a doubt a true challenge.

Today, most modern rockets are very complicated and weigh hundreds of tons at liftoff, they are usually made up of two or three stages. Most of the Rocket’s weight is composed of fuel (liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen); these large amounts of fuel are required to overcome Earth’s gravity. When a stage uses up all of its fuel, it is separated to remove unnecessary weight from the rocket, allowing the rocket to reach its destination.

A Walk to Remember

On July 16, 1969 NASA sent the Apollo 11 from the Kennedy Space Center with the intent to place a man on the moon. Four day later a new frontier had been reached, the Lunar Module "Eagle" landed on the moon. Soon after landing Neil descendent from the modular, step on the moon’s surface for the time and said the historic words, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind".

Through a camera in the Lunar Module more than half a billion people were able to witness live television coverage of this moment in history. In order to walk on the surface of the moon, the astronauts needed to wear a space suit with a back mounted, portable life support system. The portable life support system controlled the oxygen, temperature and pressure inside the suit; allowing movement and protection the astronauts. Once on the surface of the moon the astronauts had to get used to the reduced gravity; they soon discovered that they were able to jump higher than on the Earth. In total the astronauts spend two and half hours on the moon’s surface, while on the moon they performed several experiments and collected soil and rock samples to return to Earth.

FACT: An American flag was left on the moon's surface as a reminder of the accomplishment.

The Return Home

In order to return home similar step needed to be followed. Once again the rocket needed to be created enough thrust to exceed the weight of the rocket and re-enter Earth's atmosphere. As the Columbia re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, parachutes opened to safely lower the shuttle into the Pacific Ocean. The crew was rescue by a helicopter and taken to the recovery ship, the "USS Hornet".

The Command Module "Columbia" returned to Earth on July 24, 1969 and both the crew and the lunar samples were placed in quarantine until their health and safety could be confirmed. If alive, President Kennedy would have been proud of the Nation for accomplishing the objective: to land men on the moon and return them safely to Earth.

Here at Sani Dental Group, we are pleased of all the accomplishment our patients have achieve. We know that you have the same determination as the scientist and researchers who accepted President Kennedy challenged. On July 20, we invite you to commemorate the many accomplishments you have reached and continue exploring tomorrow’s new frontiers.