Before the Moon Landing

Few think about the week before an historic event, but here is what happened the week before Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Mike Collins headed for the moon, Aldrin and Armstrong walking on the moon July 20, 1969.

Having known Buzz for 30 years, worked with him for 25 of those years, we have talked about almost everything. We owe much to such men of courage.

This week, 57 years ago, the three Apollo 11 astronauts were in final simulation mode, working on technical and medical preparations for launch on July 16, 1969.

The three Apollo 11 astronauts, destined to be epic pioneers, Aldrin and Armstrong, the first humans to walk on the moon, were, by all accounts, calm. All were military pilots; Aldrin and Armstrong were former combat fighter pilots in Korea, and Collins was the best with the Command Module.

Armstrong would serve as the Apollo 11 Commander, Aldrin as Lunar Module pilot. Collins would safely deliver the three-man crew from Earth to the moon and back, at the controls of the command module, called “Columbia.”

The lunar module, called “Eagle,” would separate from Columbia, descend to the moon’s surface, allow Armstrong and Aldrin to walk on the surface, collect samples, ascend to rejoin Columbia, and come home.

As Buzz relayed in one of countless, often casual conversations, the three got to talking one night and concluded, all things considered, their chances were 2 in 3 of coming back alive, which sat well with the three military pilots; no one would be shooting at them.

So, they launched on July 16, a launch that was so smooth in the capsule they confirmed it by watching the gauges as their giant Saturn 5 rocket ascended.

They traveled to the moon on the 17th, 18th, and 19th, finally igniting the “Service Propulsion System” engine on the 19th to enter lunar orbit, a slowing to permit moon gravity to get a hold of them.

On July 20, the lunar module “Eagle” separated and headed to the surface. The descent was precarious, requiring manual adjustments to get attitude and altitude to match a smooth landing surface, but successful.

The two men’s walk on the surface – Armstrong descending first, Aldrin 20 minutes later – were about setting experiments and collecting some rock samples.

Armstrong famously called his first step on the surface, “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” while Aldrin described the moon’s surface as “magnificent desolation.”

They successfully launched from the moon, having to use a pen to initiate launch when a circuit breaker broke off, and returned to earth for a successful splashdown on July 24th. They were picked up by the USS Hornet.

All of this is recorded in great detail in many books, as are subsequent Apollo flights, but the week before, which would be this one 57 years ago – seldom gets mentioned.

Perhaps the most remarkable part to me, though seemingly nothing to Aldrin, was that these three Americans pioneered our journey to the surface of another planetary object, knowing – or assessing – their chances of safe return at two in three, and were apparently more than content. We owe much to such men of courage. Onward!

Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, Maine attorney, ten-year naval intelligence officer (USNR), and 25-year businessman. He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (North Country Press, 2018), and “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024). He is the National Spokesman for AMAC. Today, he is running to be Maine’s next Governor (please visit BobbyforMaine.com to learn more)!