The Apollo Mission: Man’s First Voyage to the Moon

In the Shadow of the Moon, 2007: Lessons from Man’s First Voyage to the Moon Introduction The documentary In the Shadow of the Moon details the experiences of the Astronauts who were part of the NASA project of travelling to the moon. It was commissioned by the then President J.F Kennedy before he was assassinated on 22nd November 1963. This paper highlights ten lessons that emerge about the documentary.

Lessons from the Documentary Firstly, the project was given impetus by the fact that the Russians attempted to steal a march by attempting to cycle around the moon with a vessel that would have a man inside. To NASA and the American government, this would have meant that the Russians would have gotten there first. Edgar Mitchell of Apollo 14 however states, rightfully so, that there was a scientific angle also.

Secondly, the Astronauts were drawn from servicemen who would have been fighting in the Vietnam War which was going on at the time of the preparations in the early 1960s. This is explained by Mike Collins of Apollo 11 and Gene Cernan of Apollo 10 and 17 who admits to having felt guilty for not participating in the war.

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Thirdly, the first test -that is Apollo I- ended in disaster when three of astronaut being Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee died in a flash fire during a test. When this happened, it was not clear whether the project was going to be abandoned.

Fourthly, it was Apollo 8 that was the first to launch into deep space from the earth. This mission was not meant to land on the moon. It was to circle it and come back. The crew was under instructions to take pictures and read Genesis one when they got to the moon.

Fifthly, after two other attempts, it was Apollo 11 that was meant to attempt landing.

Alan Bean of Apollo 12 explains that there were three chances to land. That is Apollo 11, 12 & 13.

Sixthly, Neil Armstrong was almost killed at the time when simulations were being done to mimic how the landing on the moon would be done. After the incident, Neil refused to talk to the Media.

Seventhly, Neil Armstrong was part of Apollo 11 which was designated as the first crew that would attempt to land on the moon. This mission was scheduled to take off on the 16th of July 1969. The other members of the crew were Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin.

Eighthly, from outer space, the members of Apollo 11 were able to see the full size of the earth in its circular shape. From that vantage point, they saw the oceans as being crystal blue, the ground as brown and the snow and the clouds as pure white.

Ninthly, in terms of time it took three days to travel from the earth to the moon. It was the pitch darkness of being in the shadow of the moon that helped the astronauts to know that they were getting there.

Tenthly, the Astronauts concede that the safety of the journey to the moon was not certain. It was a risk and from outer space, the earth was so far away and there was little they could do to help in case things did not go as planned. This is admitted by Mike Collins of Apollo 11 and Allan Bean of Apollo 12.

References Documentary Mania, (n.d.) In the Shadow of the Moon, retrieved on 5th May 2020 from http://www.documentarymania.com/player.php?title=In+the+Shadow+of+the+Moon