5 Things You Didn’t Know About Apollo 11

Low-Power Computers

The computers on the Apollo spacecraft helped guide the astronauts to the moon, but their processing power was less than a modern mobile phone.

Don’t Get Locked Out!

When Buzz Aldrin left the lunar module he had to make sure that the door didn’t lock shut behind him as there was no handle on the outside.

Memorials Carried to the Moon

Carried along to the moon were reminders of those that didn’t survive to see the day – a mission patch from Apollo 1, where three U.S. astronauts died in a launch pad fire, and medals commemorating two Soviet cosmonauts who died in flight during the same period.

Saved By a Pen

The circuit breaker for the rocket that would lift Armstrong and Aldrin off the moon broke, endangering a safe return. Aldrin figured out that he could close the circuit with a felt tip pen, saving the mission – and their lives.

The Unused Eulogy

The White House prepared an alternate statement to be used if the astronauts became stranded on the moon. It gives a glimpse into a possibility that was thankfully avoided.