Disclaimer: I copied most of this from a YouTube clip called (Apollo 11 Launch (BBC Audio)) and from the Apollo 11 flight journal
Rocket Launch
Severus was glad that Mr and Mrs Evans never made a big fuss over the slip-up he revealed on the twin's birthday because the countdown to the Apollo 11 launch began. For once in his life, Severus was thankful that it was the summer holidays.
On Wednesday, July 16th 1969 as soon as Severus was dragged into the sitting room he could see the black and white television was turned onto a programme titled Apollo 11. The set consisted of a long, angled desk, large models of the Moon and the Earth, and a large picture of a rocket against a dark, cosmic-type background. Three men were at the table and on the front of the desk was a digital clock which counted down the time to lift-off.
The studio was replaced with footage of a massive rocket standing on the launch pad and the countdown displayed on the screen.
``Good afternoon Great Britain this is Michael Chartlon reporting live from Mission Control in Houston. We are at the six-minute mark in the countdown to the launch of Apollo 11 and it is a beautiful scorching day here in America. Let's listen in, to the Public Affairs Officer.'
Public Affairs Officer: This is Apollo Saturn Launch Control. We've passed the 6-minute mark in our countdown for Apollo 11. Now 5 minutes, 52 seconds and counting. We're on time at the present time for our planned lift-off of 32 minutes past the hour. Spacecraft Test Conductor, Skip Chauvin, now has completed the status check of his personnel in the control room. All report they are Go for the mission, and this has been reported to the Test Supervisor, Bill Schick. The test supervisor is now going through some status checks. Launch Operations Manager Paul Donnelly reports Go for launch. Launch Director Rocco Petrone now gives a Go. We're 5 minutes, 20 seconds and counting. Coming up shortly, that swing arm up at the spacecraft level will come back to its fully retracted position. This should occur at the 5-minute mark in the count. In the meantime the Lunar Module telemetry has been powered down. We took a good look at Eagle, and it looks good. The Spacecraft Test Conductor for the Lunar Module reported that Eagle was Go. The swing arm now coming back to its fully retracted position as our countdown continues. T minus 4 minutes, 50 seconds and counting. Skip Chauvin informing the astronauts that the swing arm is now coming back. The astronauts will have a few more reports coming up in the countdown. The last business report will be from Neil Armstrong at the 45-second mark in the count when he gives the status on the final alignment of the Stabilization and Control System. We're now passing the 4-minute, 30-second mark in the countdown - still Go at this time.
Four minutes, 15 seconds - the Test Supervisor now has informed Launch Vehicle Test Conductor Norm Carlson, you are Go for launch. From this time down, Carlson handles the countdown as the launch vehicle begins to build up. We're now hitting the 4-minute mark. Four minutes and counting. We are Go, for Apollo 11. We'll Go on an automatic sequence starting at 3 minutes and 7 seconds.
Three minutes, 45 seconds and counting. In the final abort checks between several key members of the crew here in the control centre and the astronauts, Launch Operations Manager Paul Donnelly wished the crew, on the launch teams' behalf, "Good luck and Godspeed."
Three minutes, 25 seconds and counting; we're still Go at this time. We'll be coming up on the automatic sequence about 10 or 15 seconds from this time. All still Go at this time. Neil Armstrong reported back when he received the good wishes: "Thank you very much. We know it will be a good flight." Firing command coming in now. We are on the automatic sequence. We're approaching the 3-minute mark in the count. T minus 3 minutes and counting. T minus 3 - we are Go with all elements of the mission at this time. We're on an automatic sequence as the master computer supervises hundreds of events occurring over these last few minutes.
T minus 2 minutes, 45 seconds and counting. The members of the launch team here in the control centre monitoring a number of what we call red-line values. These are tolerances we don't want to go above and below in temperatures and pressures. They're standing by to call out any deviations from our plans. Two minutes, 30 seconds and counting; we're still Go on Apollo 11 at this time. The vehicle starting to pressurise as far as the propellant tanks are concerned, and all is still Go as we monitor our status board. Two minutes, 10 seconds and counting. The target for the Apollo 11 astronauts, the Moon, at lift-off, will be at a distance of 218,096 [nautical] miles [403,914 km] away. We just passed the 2-minute mark in the countdown. T minus 1 minute, 54 seconds and counting. Our status board indicates that the oxidizer tanks in the second and third stages now have pressurised. We continue to build up pressure in all three stages here at the last minute to prepare it for lift-off.
T minus 1 minute, 35 seconds on the Apollo mission, the flight to land the first men on the Moon. All indications coming into the control centre at this time indicate we are Go. One minute, 25 seconds and counting. Our status board indicates the third stage is completely pressurized. The Eighty-second mark has now been passed. We'll go on full internal power at the 50-second mark in the countdown. Guidance system goes on internal at 17 seconds leading up to the ignition sequence at 8.9 seconds. We're approaching the 60-second mark on the Apollo 11 mission.
T minus 60 seconds and counting. We've passed T minus 60. 55 seconds and counting. Neil Armstrong just reported back: "It's been a real smooth countdown". We've passed the 50-second mark. Power transfer is complete - we're on internal power with the launch vehicle at this time. 40 seconds away from the Apollo 11 lift-off. All the second-stage tanks are now pressurized. 35 seconds and counting. We are still a Go with Apollo 11. 30 seconds and counting. Astronauts report, "It feels good". T minus 25 seconds...20 seconds and counting...T minus 15 seconds...guidance is internal...12, 11, 10, 9...ignition sequence starts...6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0...all engines running...lift-off, we have lift-off, 32 minutes past the hour, lift-off on Apollo 11…lift-off
The girls and Severus eagerly counted down with the announcer and watched with bated breath as fire burst out of the engines and slowly lifted the rocket off the launch pad at 1:32 pm.
Tower cleared…
'She's lifting beautifully into the sky, a typically beautiful Saturn V launch' Michael Chartlon was saying
As the camera filled the rocket up into the air the
Public Affairs Officer continued: Neil Armstrong reporting their roll and pitch program which puts Apollo 11 on a proper heading. Plus 30 seconds.
Armstrong: Roll's complete and the pitch is programming
Public Affairs Officer: One Bravo is a abort control mode
Public Affairs Officer: Altitude's 2 [nautical] miles [3.7 km]
Mission control: Apollo 11, Houston. You're good at 1 minute
Armstrong: Roger
Public Affairs Officer: Downrange 1 [nautical] mile [1.8 km], altitude 3, 4 [nautical] miles [7.4 km] now. Velocity 2,195 feet per second [669 m/s].
Public Affairs Officer: We're through the region of maximum dynamic pressure now.
Public Affairs Officer: Eight miles [15 km] downrange, 12 miles [22 km] high, velocity 4,000 feet per second [1,219 m/s].
Mission control: Stand by for Mode One-Charlie
Michael Charlton's voice could be heard over the broadcast 'And this apocalyptic sight as we see it tracked by airborne cameras on high flying aircraft, hear comes first stage separation coming up now it's freed at about six thousand miles an hour or really out of sight to us at the cape just a big splotch of smoke in the sky as Apollo 11 is on its way. First stage goes, there goes first stage
Cut-off / Shut off at 36 miles high and 50 miles away going 6000 miles an hour now.'
There was very noisy background noise until Michael Charlton spoke again. 'Next thing to watch for in 45 seconds is the jettisoning of the escape tower rocket at 60 miles up.' other reporters at mission control could be heard faintly in the background suddenly the bottom of the rocket separated from the top.
'There goes the escape tower now. People start to applaud here and high above us we can just see a blur of white smoke, almost out of sight with the naked eye
And that first stage which has smashed Apollo up through the sky above us, for some 50 miles away near -' the last word that Michael Charlton said was drowned out with the roar of the space shuttle.
Staining his ears Severs heard Armstrong say 'We got skirt sep.
And someone at mission control answered: Roger. We confirm skirt sep.
Armstrong: Tower's gone.
Mission control: Roger, tower.
Public Affairs Officer: Neil Armstrong confirming both the engine skirt separation and the launch escape tower separation.
Armstrong: Houston, be advised the visual is Go today.
Mission control: This is Houston. Roger. Out.
Collins: Yeah, they finally gave me a window to look out.
Mission control:11, Houston. Your guidance has converged; you're looking good.
Armstrong: Roger.
Public Affairs Officer: Downrange, 140 [nautical] miles [259 km]; altitude, 62 [nautical] miles [115 km]; velocity, 10,300 feet per second [3,140 m/s]
Mission control: 11, Houston. You are Go, at 4 minutes.
Public Affairs Officer: Apollo 11 right on the ground track.
Public Affairs Officer:190 [nautical] miles [352 km] downrange now, 72 [nautical] miles [133 km] high, velocity 11,000 feet per second [3,353 m/s].
Michael Charlton: Well now, Apollo going along from the second stage which will take it along for another 600 seconds of powered flight to a height of 101 miles by which time it will be eight hundred and eighty miles away from us and during these next few minutes now the speed is building up to 15 thousand miles per hour, with that Cape Kennedy left with another smoking launchpad and successful launch.
Well, I thought that this one morning did show a moment of hesitancy there, I don't believe myself and you will have to wait a little to find out but that was as good a launch as Apollo 8 and 9 it did a little sidestep left and right there this morning before it cleared the tower and anyway it got away and as we keep hearing from mission control there looking good.
Public Affairs Officer: Apollo 11 could now get into orbit using the S-IVB (S4B) if necessary.
Public Affairs Officer: Everyone is reporting Go here in the Control Centre.
Mission control: Roger, 11. You're Go from the ground at 6 minutes.
There was a lot of background noise as a model of what the rocket would look like was displayed on the black and white television as it flew across a starry background.
Mission control: Apollo 11, this is Houston. Level sense arm at 8 plus 1 7; outboard cut-off at 9 plus 1 1.
Michael Charlton: What we are watching at the moment of course is a simulation, the spacecraft is much too high for any earth-bound cameras to see it. What you're hearing from NASA and the crew is the report every one minute on the state of whether or not they should go on. A Go no Go report as they call it, every single minute all that way up to orbit.'
Public Affairs Officer: Level sense arm is the sequence that arranges the staging between the second stage and the third stage. The fuel uncovers a sensor starting that sequence. Predicting that will be uncovered at 8 minutes, 17 seconds with outboard engine cut-off 9 minutes, 11 seconds on the second stage.
Armstrong: Apollo 11's Go at 7 minutes.
Mission control: 11, this is Houston. Roger. You're Go from the ground at 7 minutes. Level sense arm at 8 plus 17; outboard cut-off at 9 plus 11.
Armstrong: Roger.
Michael Charlton: The time now is the time with which the second stage will cut off
Public Affairs Officer: '-17,358 feet per second [5,291 m/s]
Michael Charlton: 9 minutes and 11 seconds from launch the second stage engine will stop firing and the third stage will take over.
Public Affairs Officer: Apollo 11 is still right down the ground track. Still Go at 7 minutes, 41 seconds.
Armstrong: Inboard cut-off.
Mission control: Roger. We confirmed
Public Affairs Officer: Inboard engines are out, on the second stage as planned.
Michael Charlton: the central of the five engines on that stage are now cut off
There was a long pause
Michael Charlton: Any moment now they will go to what's called low 4 which is the kind of abort they would do depending whether or not -'
Public Affairs Officer:'- Go at 8 minutes.
Armstrong: Ah, just got the mixture ratio shift.
Mission Control: Roger. We got PU shift down here, too.
Collins: Well, it looks like a nice day for it. These thunderstorms downrange is about all.
Mission control: 11, this is Houston. You are Go for staging. Over.
Armstrong: Understand, Go for staging. And...
Mission Control: Stand by for Mode IV capability.
Armstrong: Okay. Mode IV.
Mission control: Mark.
Mission control: Mode IV capability.
Public Affairs Officer: Mode IV on Apollo 11 could get into orbit using the Service Propulsion System now. Altitude is 100 miles, downrange is 883 miles. Outboard engine cut-off.
The simulation showed how the two pieces of the rocket separated from each other and the top part ignited.
Armstrong: Staging, and ignition.
Michael Charlton: 'There goes the ignition third stage -'
Mission Control: Ignition confirmed. Thrust is Go, 11.
As the Public Affairs Officer said: And we have a good third stage now.
There was a close-up of the top of the rocket with the letters USA in capital letters.
Michael Charlton: 'This is the final firing that takes them into orbit.'
Public Affairs Officer: Velocity is 23,128 feet per second [7,049 m/s]. Downrange, 1,000 [nautical] miles [1,852 km]; altitude, 101 [nautical] miles [187 km].
Michael Charlton: 'Any second now they get the Go/ no Go for orbit'
Mission Control: Apollo 11, this is Houston. At 10 minutes, you are Go.
Armstrong: Ah, roger. 11's Go.
Public Affairs Officer: Capcom Bruce McCandless giving the reports here from the Control Centre.
McCandless: Apollo 11, this is Houston. Predicted cut-off at 1 1 plus 4 2. Over.
Armstrong: 1 1 4 2. Rog
Downrange, 1,175 [nautical] miles [2,176 km]; velocity, 24,190 mile - feet per second [7,373 m/s]; altitude, 102 nautical miles [189 km].
Michael Charlton: That's all, for now, it means that they will theoretically confirm that there in orbit, 11 minutes 43 seconds after launch
McCandless: Apollo 11, this is Houston. You are Go at 11.
There was a loud crackle and Severus could just make out Michael Charlton saying: 'in 70 seconds from now … in 25 seconds from now.'
Public Affairs Officer: We're predicting third stage shutdown at 11 minutes, 42 seconds … Velocity 25,254 feet per second [7,697 km].
Michael Charlton: '10 seconds to Go'
Public Affairs Officer: Downrange, 1,400 [nautical] miles [2,593 km] now.
Michael Charlton:
Public Affairs Officer: Altitude 102.8 nautical miles [190.4 km].
Michael Charlton: 'they should now be in orbit we should hear the confirmation now there was a loud buzz and then Michael Charlton excitedly said: Shut down
Public Affairs Officer: Shut down right on time.
Collins: SECO. We are showing 101.4 by 103.6
McCandless: Roger. Shutdown. We copy 101.4 by 103.6 [nautical miles, 187.8 by 191.9 km]
Michael Charlton: And there in orbit. Well there now confirmed in orbit the two or three first trigger points have passed, a quick reaction now from Patrick
Patrick Moore: Now another perfect launch, the kind you've come to expect and I think it really rather ? to remember the first men on the moon are really on their way.
Michael Charlton: So as you've heard the Apollo 11 crew are now safely on their way –- for a moment their over 100 miles up – 1500 miles from Cape Kennedy. After what was for all of them the first ride on the part of the Saturn V. Let's now look again at the launch and this time through the eyes of Commander Neil Armstrong the man who until now has until now has only ridden on smaller Rockets back in the days of the Gemini missions.
Armstrong: Very pleasant, but definite sensation in the Gemini spacecraft I'm told by people ? it's very much the same way there's a great amount of noise and ? on the outside its noticeable.'
The television crackled and popped and the screen showed the studio set once more.
July 20 1969 (some of this was copied from the T.V show The Crown)
Cliff Michelmore: We don't have to wait long now 17 minutes and counting the landing craft has separated from the command module and has begun its descent to the surface of the moon. Armstrong and Aldrin will now send the lunar module into a sort of pirouette to allow Collins to orbit the Moon.
James Burke: Michael Collins left alone in the orbiter now, meaning when it passes behind the moon, he'll be entirely cut off from the rest of humanity. The loneliest man in the universe.
The television cracked and popped drawing out what was said until it became clear again and Severus heard Cliff Michelmore say: Only a couple of thousand feet above the surface of the moon now. Their landing sight, chosen for its smoothness, but not entirely safe, as even the slightest impact with a rock or crater could disable the lunar module.
The picture switched from the studio to what was happening with the lunar module and Severus heard Aldrin say: Altitude's a little high
Aldrin: Houston. I'm getting a little fluctuation in the AC voltage now
Mission control: Roger.
Aldrin: Could be our meter, maybe, huh?
Mission control: Standby. Looking good to us. You're still looking good at 3...Coming up 3 minutes.
Armstrong (onboard): Okay, we went by the three-minute point early. We're (going to land) long.
Aldrin: Rate of descent looking real good. Altitude's right about on.
Armstrong: (To Houston) Our position checks down range show us to be a little long.
Mission control: Roger. Copy. (there was heavy static)
'What are they saying?' Petunia asked sitting on the edge of her seat
'Armstrong has gone to manual control, Something has gone wrong.' Mr Evans answered and Severus felt his stomach clench in worry.
Aldrin: Three hundred and fifty feet, down at four.
Aldrin: Three hundred and thirty, three and a half down.
Aldrin: Okay, you're pegged on horizontal velocity
Aldrin: Three hundred feet (altitude), down 3 1/2 (feet per second), 47 (feet per second) forward. Slow it up.
Aldrin: 1 1/2 down. Ease her down. 270
Armstrong: Okay, how's the fuel?
Aldrin: Eight percent.
Armstrong: Okay. Here's a...Looks like a good area here.
Aldrin: I got the shadow out there
Aldrin: 250 (feet altitude), down at 2 1/2, 19 forward. (Pause)
Aldrin: Altitude (and) velocity lights (on).
Aldrin: 3 1/2 down, 220 feet, 13 forward. (Pause)
Aldrin: 11 forward. Coming down nicely.
Armstrong: Gonna be right over that crater.
Aldrin: 200 feet, 4 1/2 down.
Aldrin: 5 1/2 down.
Armstrong (onboard): I got a good spot (garbled).
Aldrin: 160 feet, 6 1/2 down.
Aldrin: 5 1/2 down, 9 forward. You're looking good.
Aldrin: 120 feet.
Aldrin: 100 feet, 3 1/2 down, 9 forward. Five percent (fuel remaining). Quantity light.
Aldrin: Okay. 75 feet. And it's looking good. Down a half, 6 forward.
Mission control: 60 seconds (of fuel left before the 'Bingo' call).
Aldrin: 40 feet, down 2 1/2. Picking up some dust.
Aldrin: 30 feet, 2 1/2 down. (the television made a crackle and you could mostly see the shadow of the lunar module
Aldrin: 4 forward. 4 forward. Drifting to the right a little. 20 feet, down a half.
Mission control: 30 seconds (until the 'Bingo' call).
Aldrin: Drifting forward just a little bit; that's good.
Aldrin: Contact light. Okay. Engine stop. ACA – out of detent. Mode control – both auto. Descent engine command override – off. Engine alarm – off. 413 is in.
Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM): We copy you down Eagle.
Neil Armstrong: Houston. Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed. (16:17:39 EDT) 21:17:39 BST Sunday, 20 July 1969
Cliff Michelmore: Man on the moon, Man has landed on the moon. As we watch these images tonight we are united across the world in an extraordinary uniform sense of wonder. Never before has the entire planet been united in this remarkable accomplishment. To each of us, this is historic, to some of us, this is even divine. And yet all of us regardless of race, sex, or religious belief, we are united right now in this singular human achievement.
'Bedtime you lot, we will wake you if anything exciting happens' Mrs Evans said and was rewarded with a chorus of protests from the girls. Severus kept quiet, not quite believing he was allowed to stay to witness the event.
Severus jolted awake as he felt a light touch on his arm it was Mrs Evans
'Neil Armstrong has decided to go ahead with the moonwalk now, five hours ahead of schedule.'
Severus looked around the sitting room and could see the girls yawning widely, coving their mouths as they struggled to wake up.
Mission control: We're getting a picture on the TV. There's a great deal of contrast in it, and currently it's upside-down on our monitor, but we can make out a fair amount of detail. Okay. Neil, we can see you coming down the ladder now.
Severus stared dumbfounded as he could see Neil Armstrong in his space suit
Neil Armstrong: I'm at the foot of the ladder. The LM footpads are only depressed in the surface about 1 or 2 inches, although the surface appears to be very, very fine-grained as you get close to it. It's almost like a powder. Down there, it's very fine.
Armstrong: 'Okay. I'm going to step off the LM now.' (Long Pause)
24:23 (3:56 am Monday 21 July, British time.) Armstrong: 'That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.'
Armstrong: It has a stark beauty all its own. It's like much of the high desert of the United States. It's different, but it's very pretty out here
Cliff Michelmore: This is a powerful reminder of our capacity for greatness as a species. Not simply the engineering triumph represented here today, but the triumph of human ambition. The desire to reach quite literally for the stars. And I think this new perspective, seeing the Earth from space in all our unity and cohesion is likely to inspire an unprecedented shift in our thinking.
Since the earliest time, man has imagined this moment, the moment when his fellow man would make the first journey to the Moon. Now the time had come. In the sixth decade of the twentieth century, the ancient dream was to become a reality.