![]() ![]() Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24 at 5:50 a.m. Three days later, just before Columbia was positioned for reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, it was separated from the Service Module. Once the LM had docked with Columbia, the two astronauts transferred to the CM, and the LM was jettisoned into lunar orbit (the crash site of the Eagle on the Moon is still unknown). The EVA ended after 2 hours, 31 minutes when the astronauts returned to the LM and closed the hatch.Īfter spending over 21 hours on the lunar surface, the Eagle blasted off. The astronauts traversed a total distance of about 250 meters. Both astronauts unveiled a plaque on the LM descent stage with the inscription: “Here Men From Planet Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D, We Came In Peace For All Mankind.” The astronauts deployed the scientific instruments, took photographs, and collected 22 kilograms of lunar rock and soil samples. The LM landed in the Sea of Tranquility with Armstrong reporting, “Houston, Tranquility Base here – the Eagle has landed.” Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface several hours later stating, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”.Īldrin descended the ladder several minutes later. On July 20, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin entered the Lunar Module (LM) Eagle and descended to the lunar surface. The S-IVB was fired again once the CSM reached the Moon to insert the spacecraft into orbit around it. After 1 ½ Earth orbits, the S-IVB stage was re-ignited, putting the spacecraft on course for the Moon. Kennedy’s challenge for America to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth before the 1960’s decade had ended.Īpollo 11 was launched on a Saturn V on Jfrom Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After the Eagle rendezvoused with the Command Service Module (CSM) Columbia, the astronauts returned to Earth, landing in the Pacific Ocean on July 24. During a historic 2 ½ hour lunar surface excursion, the astronauts set up scientific experiments, took photographs, and collected rock and soil samples. On July 20, 1969, two astronauts, Mission Commander Neil Armstrong and LM pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr, landed on the Moon in the Lunar Module (LM) Eagle. The eight-day Apollo 11 mission marks the first time in mankind’s history that humans walked on the surface of another planetary body. The Navy units embarked on the USS Hornet that participated in the Apollo 11 recovery were: Helicopter Anti-submarine Warfare Squadron Four (HS-4) flying the Sikorsky SeaKing SH-3D helicopter Underwater Demolition Teams Eleven and Twelve (UDT-11 and UDT-12) Airborne Early Warning Squadron VAW-111 flying the Grumman E-1B Tracer, and Fleet Logistics Support Squadron VR-30 flying the Grumman C-1A Trader. Armstrong and Aldrin were the first two humans to walk on the Moon. McCain (CINCPAC) and a number of other dignitaries were present while Hornet recovered astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins and their spacecraft Columbia. On July 24, 1969, President Richard Nixon, ADM John S. USS Hornet (CVS-12) was selected by the Navy as the Prime Recovery Ship (PRS) for Apollo 11, America’s first lunar landing mission. ![]() For the next two months, strikes were made against positions on Formosa, Luzon, Saigon, Cam Ranh Bay in French Indo-China, and Hong Kong. Hornet and Task Force 58 began intensive operations in the Philippines and surrounding areas. Hornet participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, launching 2 long-range strikes against a rapidly retiring Japanese fleet and scoring hits on several capital ships. Hornet air group VF-2 had the distinction of being the top fighter squadron in the Pacific with more total victories and more “ace” pilots then any other fighter squadron up to that time. ![]() Hornet participated in the Western Carolina Islands operation with air support strikes on Peleliu. June 19īattle of the Philippine Sea where pilots from Hornet and other carriers destroyed enemy aircraft with minimal losses in what came to be known as the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”. USS Hornet (CV-12) was commissioned November 29, 1943, becoming the eighth ship to bear the name. “Jocko” Clark came quickly as she joined famed Task Force 58. Her combat debut as the flagship of Rear Admiral J.J. USS Hornet left Pearl Harbor en route to the forward area.
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