Apollo 11 Command Module Foil

This specimen was recovered at the Johnson Space Center when the Columbia was decommissioned. It comes from the personal collection of retired NASA Production Control Engineer William R. Whipkey, who oversaw the decommissioning process.

The Kapton foil is an aluminized polyimide film used for radiation reflection. The outermost layers of Columbia were installed with the aluminized side facing outwards to provide optimal reflection.

On July 20th, 1969, human beings first walked on the surface of the Moon. Five decades out from that fateful day, this act stands among the greatest accomplishments of our species. Its characters and drama honed to near mythic status as a testament to humankind's potential. What is remembered less often is the story's minutia: the small details and historical footnotes that collectively allowed for the Moon landing to happen at all. As the Apollo 11 crew was quick to remind, the mission's success relied on thousands of scientists, engineers, and technicians who spent years laying the groundwork for the three men who would go to the Moon and back.

Over the next seven months, NASA prepared to meet their objective of landing on the moon. In March, Apollo 9 saw the first deployment of the complete Apollo craft, while in May, Apollo 10 acted as a dress rehearsal for the final mission. On the ground, the Apollo 11 crew trained for their assignment.

Beyond the hundreds of flight simulations they flew, Armstrong and Aldrin undertook geology training, flew on "vomit comet" flights to simulate 1/6 gravity, and practiced with equipment on mockups of the Moon's surface. A month out from the mission, the three were quarantined to establish a biological baseline to compare against after their return.

Before blasting off, there was also the question of whether Armstrong or Aldrin would be the first to step onto the Moon. During the Gemini flights, the mission commanders had stayed in the vehicle while their copilots had conducted spacewalks, suggesting Aldrin would exit first. In part because of simple practical matters, Armstrong was selected instead, as it would be easier for him to leave first based on the lander's door configuration.

Another non-technical matter to be figured out included the mission's patch, which was to be designed by the crew. Collins himself drew the base design, a bald eagle swooping down to the Moon, clutching an olive branch of peace. Initially, the branch was to be held in the eagle's beak, but it was moved to make the talons appear less intimidating. Collins figured the eagle looked a bit uncomfortable in the new orientation and was quoted as saying he "hoped [the eagle] dropped the olive branch before landing."

Apollo 11 blasted off at 9:32 AM, watched by millions across live television broadcasts. The rocket shed its large first and second stages, leaving only its third stage to enter parking orbit, where the astronauts revolved once around the Earth before beginning the translunar injection that shot them towards the Moon. En route, Collins performed the delicate maneuver to connect the Command and Service Module to the Lunar Module, by detaching from the larger craft, turning around, and mating the two modules together. From there, the now joined Apollo craft separated from the remains of the Saturn V rocket and began its three day journey to the Moon.

The Moon landing was rife with symbolic moments: planting the American flag, President Nixon's phone call to the astronauts, Armstrong's famous words: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." But Apollo 11 was still a scientific endeavor. Much of Armstrong and Aldrin's time on the surface was spent collecting rocks, deploying instruments, and scouting out the lunar surface. When they blasted off from the Moon the next day, they carried with them the first samples and data taken directly from our cosmic neighbor. After an incredible journey, it was time to return home.