Learning A–Z level Z Multi-level N/A

Grade 5 Word Count 1,565

Apollo 11
Lexile 1010L Nonfiction • Informational

Refer to the Focus Question on page 2 of this title to guide

discussion and support additional learning connected to the text.

The year 1969 marked a tremendous leap, not only for

the United States, but for all of humankind. That was
the year Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the Moon.
Through much trial and error, NASA was finally successful
in its ambitious endeavor to send a person to the Moon.
Apollo 11 provides students a detailed and comprehensive
look at the Apollo 11 mission and the events leading up to
this historic moment. The book can also be used to teach
students how to accurately sequence events and identify
and use hyphenated compound adjectives.

Photo Credits:
Front cover, title page, pages 3, 4 (background), 6, 7, 8 (left), 9, 14, 15: courtesy of NASA; page 4 (main): Lebrecht Music & Arts/Alamy Stock
Photo; page 5 (main): © Detlev van Ravenswaay/Science Source; page 5 (background): courtesy of NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University;
page 8 (right): © NASA/Science Source; page 12: © CLAUS LUNAU/Science Source

For more great books visit Written by Susan Lennox

www.learninga-z.com
© Learning A–Z, all rights reserved.
 Focus Question
What events led up to the Apollo 11
mission, and what did it accomplish?

Words to Know
capsule module
compartment plasma
dock quarantined
hatch satellites
jettisoned supersonic
lunar technologies

Connections
Writing
Imagine you are a TV news reporter in 1969. Write
a news report about the Apollo 11 mission. Present
Above: The 363-foot (110.6 m) Apollo 11 spacecraft launches from Kennedy
Space Center at 9:32 AM on July 16, 1969. the report to your class.
Cover: Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin poses for a photo taken by fellow
astronaut Commander Neil Armstrong on the lunar surface.
Social Studies
Research one of the astronauts from Apollo 11. Write a
Written by Susan Lennox biography about him that explains how his life changed
after the Moon landing.
 Walking on the Moon
On July 20, 1969, half a billion people around
the globe were glued to their television screens .
At the same time, millions listened to radio
broadcasts . An event marking a milestone in
human history was unfolding over the airwaves .

For the first time ever, astronauts were

walking on Earth’s Moon . In just six decades,
humans had gone from flying a few feet above
the ground to visiting the lunar surface . This
incredible progress came about because of the
imagination, determination, and courage of
Splashdown! The three Apollo 11 astronauts are picked up by a life raft in the countless people chasing a dream .
Pacific Ocean.
In 1903, Americans Orville and Wilbur Wright
Table of Contents achieved the first sustained, controlled flight
Walking on the Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 of a powered aircraft . By 1918, airplanes were an
important part of World War I military operations
Milestones and Setbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 across the globe .
Apollo Resumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Dreams of Flight
“We Have Liftoff” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Since ancient times, humans have dreamed of escaping Earth’s
gravity and taking flight. Legends and myths spoke of figures
“The Eagle Has Landed” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
sweeping across the skies. The Greeks told of Icarus, a Greek
A Step, a Leap, a Splash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 mortal, attempting to fly to the Sun on
wings made of feathers and wax. The
Welcome Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Roman god Mercury sped through the
skies on winged feet. Apollo, the Greek
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 god of Sun and light, rode above the
Apollo
clouds in a chariot.

Apollo 11 • Level Z 3 4
 World War II (1939–1945) led to the development Milestones and Setbacks
of faster and larger planes . They could reach Project Mercury was the first spaceflight
speeds of over 800 miles per hour (1,287 kmph) program in the U .S .A . By 1961, the program had
and altitudes of over 40,000 feet (12,192 m) . launched space satellites and sent humans into
Scientists and engineers became interested orbit around Earth . Those achievements inspired
in expanding the boundaries of flight into outer President John F . Kennedy . He publicly promised
space . During the late 1940s, the United States that within nine years, the United States would be
experimented with rocket planes that could fly “landing a man on the Moon and returning him
at supersonic speeds . In 1958, President Dwight safely to the earth .”
Eisenhower signed a Congressional bill forming NASA’s researchers
an independent agency dedicated to space flight . knew that to make
It was named the National Aeronautics and Space good on the president’s
Administration, or NASA . promise, many new
technologies had to be
The Space Race developed and tested .
One of NASA’s first goals was to catch up to the rival Soviet They suddenly found
Union’s (now Russian) space program. In fact, it was the Soviet
themselves in a different
launch of a human-made satellite called Sputnik that drove the
creation of NASA. The United States was fully invested in what John Glenn, the first American
type of race—a race
came to be known as “the space race” against the Soviets. astronaut to orbit Earth against time .

The Mercury missions showed that NASA

could send one person into space and back safely .
Now NASA was considering sending two or
more people . What would happen to them if they
spent many days in space? NASA’s next missions,
Project Gemini, set out to answer those questions .
Gemini’s main goal was to send people into
An artist’s drawing of Sputnik 1
space in preparation for traveling to the Moon .

Apollo 11 • Level Z 5 6
 Gemini’s spacecraft was larger than the The tragedy stunned the country and
Mercury capsule and much improved . The temporarily halted all launches . NASA did
Mercury capsule could only change the direction a thorough investigation . A pure oxygen
in which it faced during orbit . The Gemini capsule environment and flammable material in the
could change the actual orbit it was in . In June 1965, capsule helped the fire spread quickly . The capsule
during Gemini 4, astronaut Ed White performed environment was changed from pure oxygen to a
NASA’s first spacewalk, officially known as mix of gases similar to Earth’s atmosphere . Nylon,
extravehicular activity, or EVA . a highly combustible material that was used in seat
covers and other parts, was replaced with fireproof
In 1965, the Gemini 7
material made of fiberglass .
mission stayed in orbit for
two weeks . One year later, Most importantly, the hatch was redesigned
Gemini 10 demonstrated how with a manual-release lever both inside and outside
one spacecraft could dock the capsule . The hatch could open outward in
with another using a single seconds . A special device and seal would prevent
engine to move both . With it from opening by mistake .
each success, NASA leadership The crew of the ill-fated
Apollo 1 mission
grew more confident . They
believed their astronauts were ready to embark on
Moon missions, which would be named Apollo .

By 1967, NASA was ready to launch the first of

its Apollo missions . Even with all the preparation,
things went tragically wrong . During a launch
test on January 27, 1967, a fire broke out inside
the Apollo 1 capsule . Astronauts Gus Grissom,
Ed White, and Roger Chaffee could not escape
the fast-moving flames . All three were killed .
Apollo 1 Command Module before (left) and after (right) the fire that broke
out during the launch test

Apollo 11 • Level Z 7 8
 Apollo Resumes “We Have Liftoff”
Just ten months after the disaster, a new It was now 1969, and time was running
and improved Apollo 4 Command and Service out to fulfill President Kennedy’s promise . The
Module (CSM) was launched into Earth’s orbit . crew of the Apollo 11 mission were trained and
This unpiloted mission went off without a hitch ready to make history . Neil Armstrong was the
and restored NASA’s confidence . The Apollo commander, Michael Collins was the Command
missions continued . In December 1968, the and Service Module pilot, and Buzz Aldrin
crew of Apollo 8 was sent on a journey around was the Lunar Module pilot . On July 16, 1969,
Earth’s Moon . at 9:32 AM local time, the crew boarded the CSM,
named Columbia . With a mighty roar, the Saturn V
Six months later, the
rocket launched them on an eight-day journey of
three-person Apollo 10
953,054 miles (1,533,792 km) .
mission launched . It was
the final rehearsal before Within three minutes, the spacecraft was
the real lunar landing . 37 miles (60 km) above Earth, traveling at
The Lunar Module (LM) 6,340 miles per hour (10,203 kmph) . At about noon,
separated from the CSM the third-stage engine fired and pushed Apollo 11
and descended . It came out of Earth’s orbit and toward the Moon .
within 47,000 feet (14,326 m) A photo of Earth taken from
As the spacecraft moved away from Earth, the
of the Moon’s surface with Apollo 8
crew began unpacking the Lunar Module, named
two crew members inside . There was one brief,
Eagle, from its compartment . First, explosive bolts
scary moment when the LM began spinning
released Eagle from the compartment and blew
wildly, but the crew solved the problem quickly .
away the compartment’s walls . Columbia moved
The LM then ascended and docked with the
about 100 feet (30 .5 m) in front of Eagle and turned
orbiting CSM . The two crew members reentered
around to dock with it head-to-head . At that point,
the CSM for the return trip to Earth .
the rest of the outer compartment blew away from
Apollo 10 had been a successful mission . the spacecraft . Columbia and Eagle continued their
NASA was ready to try an actual lunar landing . journey to the Moon docked together .

Apollo 11 • Level Z 9 10
 “The Eagle Has Landed”
Apollo 11 Mission Timeline
By Day 3, Apollo 11 was 175,000 miles (Eastern Standard Time)

(281,635 km) from Earth and 48,000 miles 1 Apollo Saturn V rocket launches (July 16, 1969, 8:32 AM)
2 Saturn V separates from booster engine
(77,248 .5 km) from the Moon . Astronauts
3 Saturn V third stage engine sends LM and CSM into lunar orbit
Armstrong and Aldrin climbed through (July 16, 11:16 AM)
a tunnel connecting Columbia to Eagle to 4 CSM is released from Saturn V third stage engine, turns around,
and docks with LM (July 16, 11:56 AM)
make sure everything was in working order .
5 CSM and LM orbit the Moon
On Day 4, Columbia slowed down so it could be (July 19, 12:21 PM) 0 a b
pulled into lunar orbit . The next morning, Aldrin 6 LM separates and descends to
Moon’s surface; CSM remains in
boarded Eagle and fired up its engines . An hour lunar orbit (July 20, 1:11 PM) 9
later, Armstrong boarded and the landing legs 7 LM lands on Moon 8
(July 20, 3:17 PM)
were deployed . They closed the hatch, and Eagle
8 Armstrong steps
separated from Columbia . Collins piloted the CSM on lunar surface, 5 6
7
followed by Aldrin
away from the LM and continued orbiting the Moon . (July 20, 9:56 PM)

Armstrong fired the descent engine to guide 9 LM liftoff from 4

lunar surface
Eagle toward its preprogrammed landing spot, (July 21, 12:54 PM)
a smooth area known as the Sea of Tranquility .
However, their flight path was taking them toward
a crater strewn with rocks! As alarms sounded, c
Armstrong took control and steered Eagle toward d
3 0 LM docks with CSM; Armstrong and Aldrin
a safer site . enter CSM (July 21, 4:34 PM)

Tensions were high in Eagle and with Mission a LM is jettisoned to crash into Moon
1 2 b CSM turns around and begins return
Control, the NASA officials back on Earth . When trip to Earth (July 21, 11:54 PM)
the LM finally touched down, it had only thirty
c Service Module is jettisoned from Command Module (CM);
seconds of fuel remaining . When Armstrong astronauts descend to Earth in CM
reported that “the Eagle has landed,” Mission d CM enters Earth’s atmosphere, deploys parachutes, and splashes
down in Pacific Ocean (July 24, 11:50 AM)
Control burst into cheers .

Apollo 11 • Level Z 11 12
 A Step, a Leap, a Splash On July 24, Columbia’s service module was
Armstrong and Aldrin attached portable life- jettisoned just before the Command Module
support and communication systems they needed reentered Earth’s atmosphere . Traveling faster
to perform their EVA . Armstrong opened the than the speed of sound, the CM hurtled toward
hatch at 10:39 PM and slowly made his way to Earth . Friction electrified the air surrounding the
the bottom step . As he did, Armstrong switched CM to produce fiery, glowing plasma . The plasma
on a television camera attached to the ladder that engulfed the CM, blocking all radio signals and
would show this historic event to the world . causing a four-minute communication blackout .
Only the CM’s protective heat shield kept the
Almost a full twenty minutes after he exited capsule from burning up .
Eagle, Armstrong placed his left foot onto the
gray dust of the lunar surface . As he did, he said, Parachutes were released to slow Columbia’s
“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap descent toward the landing zone in the Pacific
for mankind .” Another twenty minutes passed Ocean . It splashed down at 11:49 AM Central
before Aldrin left the module and joined him . Daylight Time about 800 miles (1,287 .5 km)
southwest of Hawaii . The USS Hornet retrieved
The astronauts planted an American flag
the astronauts from the spacecraft .
and were congratulated by President Nixon .
Armstrong then positioned the camera so it could
record their activities . The astronauts conducted Scientists and Seamstresses
several experiments and collected lunar soil and Several women played key roles in the Apollo 11 mission’s
rock samples . After two hours and forty-seven success. Katherine Johnson was a mathematician whose work in
minutes, they returned to Eagle . NASA’s segregated “colored computers” lab was instrumental
for both the Mercury and Apollo 11 missions. Nutritionist Rita
On July 21, Eagle’s ascent engines started, Rapp made sure that the astronauts were well fed and that food
and it began climbing at a speed of 80 feet (24 .3 m) waste could be properly disposed of in space. NASA engineer
per second . Four hours later, Eagle docked with Poppy Northcutt calculated the flight path for Apollo 11’s return
Columbia . Astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin trip to Earth. Meanwhile, seamstresses at Playtex created
expertly designed spacesuits with precise stitching to keep the
climbed back into the Command Module,
astronauts warm and safe in the extreme lunar conditions.
rejoining Mike Collins .

Apollo 11 • Level Z 13 14
 Welcome Home Glossary
A helicopter brought the Apollo 11 crew to the capsule (n.) page 7
the detachable compartment on a spacecraft that holds
Hornet, where they were quarantined in a trailer .
people and instruments
The Hornet sailed back to Hawaii, and the trailer was
compartment (n.) page 10
put onto a plane to Houston, Texas, where the crew one of the separate areas within a vehicle such as a ship
spent twenty-one days in quarantine . Afterward, or train
huge parades were held in Houston, Chicago, dock (v.) page 7
and New York City . Their epic mission completed, to connect two vehicles in space
the astronauts and the team at NASA achieved hatch (n.) page 8
something heroic and contributed to an evolving a door or doorway on a ship, airplane, or spacecraft
conversation about the possibilities of space travel . jettisoned (v.) page 14
dropped something from a ship, aircraft, or spacecraft,
The Apollo often in an emergency situation
Missions ---1969 --- lunar (adj.) page 4
(continued)
---1966–1968--- Apollo 11 (Jul. 20): First
of or relating to the Moon
Apollos 2–6 (Jul. 1966–Apr. 1968): people land on the Moon module (n.) page 9
Unpiloted test flights Apollo 12 (Nov. 14): Second
a part of a spacecraft that can be separated from the main
---1967--- piloted mission to land
on the Moon part and still function
Apollo 1 (Jan. 27): All three
astronauts die in a cabin ---1970---
Apollo 13 (Apr. 11): An
plasma (n.) page 14
fire during a launch test
---1968--- explosion destroys the charged particles of gas that can conduct electricity
Command Module. The
Apollo 7 (Oct. 11): First astronauts abandon their quarantined (v.) page 15
piloted Apollo mission;
first test of the CSM
mission by returning to isolated to prevent the spread of disease
Earth in the Lunar Module
Apollo 8 (Dec. 21): First piloted ---1971--- satellites (n.) page 6
mission to orbit the Moon Apollo 14 (Jan. 31): Third natural or human-made objects that orbit Earth or another
---1969--- lunar landing
Apollo 9 (Mar. 3): First
object in space
Apollo 15 (July 26): Fourth
piloted test of the Lunar lunar landing supersonic (adj.) page 5
Module in Earth’s orbit
---1972--- faster than the speed of sound
Apollo 10 (May 18): Apollo 16 (Apr. 16): Fifth
Rehearsal of the Moon landing lunar landing technologies (n.) page 6
(without actually landing),
in preparation for the Apollo 17 (Dec. 7): Final machines or tools that are developed through the use
mission to the Moon
Apollo 11 mission of scientific knowledge

Apollo 11 • Level Z 15 16