On July 16, 1969, the 363 ft tall Apollo 11 spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center to accomplish its mission - land two men on the lunar surface and return them safely to Earth. The spacecraft carried a crew of three; Mission Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin E. Aldrin Jr.
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| Photo: The Apollo 11 lunar landing mission crew, pictured from left to right, Neil Armstrong (holding a plaque that will be left on the moon), Buzz Aldrin (holding the Apollo 11 insignia) and Michael Collins during news conference at the Space Center on July 5, 1969. |
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| Apollo 11 crew-signed "Type 2" Dow-Unicover Insurance Cover with an "Apollo 8" 8¢ U.S. stamp affixed and cancelled July 16, 1969 (the date of the launch) with Kennedy Space Center machine cancel. Signed by Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. |
Armstrong's first step onto the lunar surface was broadcast on live TV to a worldwide audience. He described the event as "one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." The Apollo 11 mission successfully completed the
national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961.
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| Photo: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin rehearsed the 2.5 hours of work planned for them on the moon. |
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| Photo: Neil Armstrong practice climbing the ladder of a Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) simulator on July 9, 1969 |
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| Photo: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in the lunar module simulator practicing moon landing, July 11, 1969. |
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| Photo: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during televised press conference, notice the technician wears a mask to prevent the spacemen from contracting cold or other infections. July 14, 1969. |
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| Apollo 11 official NASA cachet on cover with a Kennedy Space Center machine cancel. Hand-painted cachet by Alec Bartos, the Romanian Astrophilately Chairman, visual artist and stamp designer. Alec painted this cover with contents carried in Armstrong's Personal Preference Kit (PPK) - a piece of wood from the Wright brothers' 1903 airplane's left propeller, a piece of muslin fabric from its upper left wing, a gold olive branch pin that was left on the Moon's surface. |
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| Photo: Apollo 11 primary crew and backup crew at dinner on July 15, 1969. |
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| Photo: Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong at breakfast before their historic Apollo 11 flight, July 16, 1969. |
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| Top photo: "Commander Neil Armstrong (right) waited in his spacesuit and watched technicians finish dressing the other members of the Apollo 11 crew, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin. The two were on reclining chairs designed to make their suiting up as easy as possible. UPI Telephoto. July 16, 1969." |
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| Apollo 11 crew-signed cover with a small stick-on Apollo 11 emblem label. Postmarked on launch day, July 16, 1969 with Kennedy Space Center machine cancel. |
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| "Photo: Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin Jr, appeared in a cheerful mood as they left the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building to enter the transfer van that takes them to Pad 39 where they will enter their spacecraft looking forward to a moon landing. APWirephoto, July 16, 1969." |
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| Photo: Close view of the Apollo 11 rocket lift off and the Lunar Landing Mission. |
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| Tracking the Apollo 11 spacecraft while in the Earth orbit. |
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| Photo: Mission Control at Houston, Texas, monitoring the Apollo 11 spacecraft while on its way to the moon. July 17, 1969. |
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The NASA Manned Space Flight Network (MSFN) was a world-wide network of stations that tracked the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Skylab missions. Most MSFN stations were only needed during the launch, Earth orbit and landing phases of the lunar missions, but three "deep space" sites with larger antennas provided continuous coverage during the trans-lunar, trans-earth and lunar mission phases. The three sites form the NASA Deep Space Network were:
Top: The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC), commonly called the Goldstone Observatory, is located in the Mojave Desert near Barstow in the U.S. state of California.
Centre: The Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) is a ground station located in Robledo de Chavela, Spain.
Bottom: The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC) is an Earth station in Australia located at Tidbinbilla in the Australian Capital Territory. DSS-42 antenna was the original antenna constructed at the complex. |
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| NASA-INTA (MSFN) Apartado (Madrid, Spain) Tracking Station cover applied with an Apollo 11 Snoopy cachet, signed by the Station Director, Dan Hunter. |
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| Apollo 11 entered moon orbit on July 19, 1969. |
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| Photo: A Moon photograph taken during the Apollo 10 mission in May shows the area where Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin landed in the Sea of Tranquility. |
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| Photo: Tracking screens showing the moment when Apollo 11 lunar module landed on the moon. July 20, 1969. |
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| Photo: Top officials in the space program at Mission Control watching the Apollo 11 lunar module landed on July 20, 1969. |
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| Photo: Televised images of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969. |
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| Apollo 11 First Man On The Moon (Space City Cover Society) cover cancelled with a Houston postmark on July 20, 1969. Signed by Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. |
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| Photo: Mission Control watches televised image of the astronaut on the moon. |
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| On July 20, 1969, at 10:56 pm EDT (July 21, 1969, at 12.56 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time), 600 million people around the world watched Neil Armstrong first step on the Moon. Eight and a half minutes after those first historic images were broadcast, NASA chosen Parkes (due to its superior image quality) as the source of the remaining two hours and 12 minutes of live broadcast. Above cover with a stamped CSIRO ANRAO Parkes cachet, cancelled at Parkes on July 21, 1969 at 12:30pm. |
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| Photo: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin placing the American flag on the surface of the moon, near the lunar lander that brought them to the lunar surface. |
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| Apollo 11 crew-signed "Type 1" Insurance Cover originally from the personal collection of mission lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin, with signed LOA. This "NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Stamp Club Official Commemorative Cover First Manned Lunar Exploration" with a color cachet, 6.5" x 3.625", has an "Apollo 8" 8¢ U.S. stamp affixed and cancelled July 20, 1969 (the date of the moon landing), at Houston, Texas. Signed by Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, all in blue felt tip to the right of the cachet. This cover is mounted to a signed Letter of Authenticity on Aldrin's personal letterhead. This is one of the three designs of the Apollo 11 insurance cover, a tradition that began with this flight. The astronauts would all sign a certain quantity of these covers to be left on Earth as a contingency against their failing to return safely from the moon. In the case of a tragedy, the covers would be sold with the proceeds benefiting their families, not unlike an insurance policy. - Heritage Auctions |
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| Photo: Neil Armstrong read the inscription on the plaque that was attached to the descent stage of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, July 21, 1969 |
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| Photo: Londoners get news of moon walk, July 21, 1969 |
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| Apollo 11 Lunar Module, Eagle, took off from the moon at 1:54 p.m. on July 21, 1969, leaving its descent stage behind as planned. To lighten their load on the ride into orbit, the astronauts left several other items behind, including two still cameras, their portable life support systems and their boots. |
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| Photo: "ASTRONAUTS Charles "Pete" Conrad (left) and Alan L. Bean, flight commander and lunar module pilot respectively for the Apollo 12 spaceflight, watch the tracking screen at Mission Control, Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Tex, Monday as Apollo 11 lunar module lift off from the moon took place. Conrad and Bean followed the Apollo 11 lunar module operation closely as Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin gave them a preview of events to come." |
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| It took four hours for Eagle to meet up with Columbia, the command module, which the astronauts ride back home. The two spacecraft docked at 5:35 p.m., reuniting the Apollo 11 crew. At 7:42 p.m., the astronauts jettisoned Eagle and getting ready for the trip back to Earth. At 12:56 a.m. on July 22, Apollo 11 began its journey home. |
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| Photo: Apollo 11 crew photographed the area as they left the lunar surface for docking with the command module. |
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| Apollo 11 command module, Columbia, exited lunar orbit on July 22, 1969. |
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The Apollo 11 astronauts carried to the moon a blank cover affixed with an imperforated C76 moon landing stamp and a postal rubber stamp stating "MOON LANDING JUL 20 1969 USA". Due to the busy schedule to complete various tasks on the moon, the astronauts forgot to postmark the unique cover on the moon. The postmarking was done while on their return to earth on July 22, 1969. Before the actual flight of Apollo 11, Dr. Matthew I. Radnofsky simulated cancelling in space in his laboratory. He prepared four proof covers as well as 150 specimens for philatelic reference.
Top: Specimen cover no. 35 of 150, with a "MOON LANDING JUL 20 1969 USA" postmark applied by Dr. Matthew I. Radnofsky for philatelic reference before the actual flight of Apollo 11.
Bottom: Reverse of the same cover shows a "Webster Aug 11, 1969" machine postmark and a "Delayed in Quarantine at Lunar Receiving Laboratory, M.S.C - Houston, Texas" handstamp cancelled on the back of the cover. These were later applied on the 214 covers that were flown to the moon, carried by Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins in their Personal Preference Kits. - Auktionshaus Felzmann |
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| Columbia entered Earth's atmosphere at 12:35 p.m. on July 24, 1969, at times heating up so much that communications were interrupted by the supercharged atmosphere surrounding the spacecraft. Houston Mission Control starts calling Apollo 11 after 4 minutes of blackout as the spacecraft re-enters earth. |
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| Photo: Celebration scene at Mission Control, Houston after Apollo 11 capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. |
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| All went as planned, the crew safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 12:51 p.m., about 950 miles (1,527 kilometers) southwest of Honolulu and only 15 miles (24 kilometers) from recovery ship USS Hornet. Above USS Hornet CSV-12 recovery ship postcard with Beck rubber stamped cachet, hand cancelled on July 24, 1969. |
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| USS Hornet recovery ship cover with a Ekas rubber stamped cachet. |
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| Apollo 11 USS Hornet Captain's cover with hand cancelled USS Hornet postmark. 6,000 copies of this envelope were produced by the ship's commanding officer. Signed by Captain Carl J. Seiberlich. |
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| After the drogue chute deployed, the recovery forces took over the airwaves to communicate with the Apollo 11 crew. Above cover with a hand painted cachet by Van Waay and USS Hornet hand cancel July 24, 1969. |
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| Photo: The Apollo 11 capsule awaiting for recovery, after the crew were picked up by recovery helicopter. |
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| Apollo 11 US Navy Recovery Force printed cachet of splash-down, machine cancelled July 24, 1969. |
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| USS Arlington (AGMR-2) served as President Nixon's "Floating White House" during the Apollo 11 recovery. While USS Hornet was the primary recovery ship, USS Arlington provided communications support. After the Apollo 11 recovery both ships steamed for Pearl Harbour with USS Hornet arriving first. While most USS Arlington ship covers have a Honolulu postmark, only a small quantity cancelled with "USS Arlington" as shown here. |
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| Photo: President Richard Nixon watches the splashdown from USS Hornet, July 24, 1969. |
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| This cover was signed by William Pierce Rogers who served as President Richard Nixon's Secretary of State from January 22, 1969, until September 3, 1973. The USS Hornet hand cancel on the cover is a variation without the "AM" time slug.
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| Beck printed cachet cover B804 cachet was meant for USS Goldsborough, but this one went to USS Hornet. |
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| Photo: President Nixon meet the Apollo 11 crew while in their quarantine station aboard USS Hornet. |
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| An unusual variation of Apollo 11 USS Hornet hand cancel that has the time slug above the year 1969. |
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| Apollo 11 Orbit Covers with Beck rubber stamped cachet. The USS Hornet machine cancel here is a variation with centered AM time slug. Signed by William R Carpentier, the NASA flight surgeon who gave the astronauts a verbal physical check when they were hoisted up to the recovery helicopter one at a time. |
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| Photo: An interior view of the Apollo 11 Mobile Quarantine Facility showing Neil Armstrong playing a ukulele, Buzz Aldrin talking to his family through a phone, Michael Collins covering his ears from the noise. |
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| USS Hornet hand cancel July 24, 1969 on an Art Craft cover. |
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| Photo: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin examined some fo the rolls of film which they took on their journey to the moon. |
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| Photo: The Apollo 11 crew held their first press conference on August 12, 1969, after they were released from quarantine. |
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| Photo: The Apollo 11 astronauts presented a model of the lunar landing module to George Paul Miller, US Representative from California, on September 16, 1969. |
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| Apollo 11 covers signed by Neil Armstrong and Wernher von Braun. A wooden plaque, 9" x 11.75", featuring
two signed Apollo 11 event covers and four space-related U.S. stamps, all laminated to a red album page, covered with Plexiglas,
and mounted to the plaque along with a space medallion. There are two signed items: (1) An Apollo 11 launch cover
with a July 16, 1969 pictorial cancel from the Kennedy Space Center. It has a color cachet issued by the Bendix Company's Launch
Support Division and is addressed to Honorable Harry Flood Byrd, Jr., a U.S. senator from Virginia. Signed by Neil Armstrong and Wernher von Braun. (2) An unaddressed Apollo 11 splashdown cover with a July 24, 1969 Cape Canaveral cancellation and a color cachet depicting the astronauts and the recovery in the Pacific. Signed by Neil Armstrong. - Heritage Auction |
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| Photo: "Long Binh, S. Vietnam: Neil Armstrong, first man to set foot on the moon, gets a big hand from 20,000 others also in service to their country. The astronaut was introduced by entertainer Bob Hope at a recent performance at Long Binh during the comedian's annual holiday tour. UPI Photo by Shunsuke Akatsuka. January 2, 1970." |
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| Photo: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins at the 5th anniversary (top) and 25th anniversary (bottom) of the first moon landing ceremony. |
(Reference from
Apollo 11)
