On our 50 year Apollo 11 Timeline, it’s today that the Command and Service Module (CSM) with the attached Lunar Module (LM) arrive at The Moon and achieve lunar orbit.
So it’s a very busy day for our intrepid astronauts.
They also got their first glimpse of The Moon since leaving Earth.
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If you look at the second image carefully, in Mare Fecunditatis you can see the craters Messier and Messier A with their distinctive comet-shaped double ray streaking away from the spacecraft.
03:11 – CSM/LM enter Equigravisphere, where Earth’s and Lunar gravity are equal.
As the spacecraft moves closer to The Moon its gravitational pull will gradually increase, become more dominant and will start to speed up the spacecraft as it attracts them towards it.
Most of the day spent cruising and housekeeping, then they arrive.
17:21 – Lunar Orbit Insertion Ignition burn starts.
17:27 – Lunar Orbit Insertion Ignition burn cutoff.
19:52 – TV transmission started.
20:32 – TV transmission ended.
21:43 – Lunar Circular Orbital burn to get Stack into lunar orbit.
The three astronauts are now in lunar orbit and preparing to land tomorrow.