“Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed.” – Commander Neil Armstrong
One can consider the report period for this film, as the narrator puts it, “the most important period in the history of the Manned Spacecraft Center.” With the facility serving as the epicenter of Apollos 9 through 11 during this time frame, it is certainly a difficult conclusion to argue against. After a brief overview of the Apollo 9 and 10 missions, hitting the high points of each, this film quickly gets to the main event: Apollo 11. Before reviewing the actual mission, however, it recaps some of the training and preparations that were covered in previous quarterly reports. After we witness the launch of Apollo 11, this film also gives a good overview of mission control at the Manned Spacecraft Center. “If the spacecraft in flight is the heart of the mission,” the narrator asserts, “the nerve center is this tense room of low modulated voices, muted flickering lights, and electronic hum.” As for the actual mission, this film covers it from launch to lunar landing to splashdown, and then continues through to post-mission operations at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, including a brief look at the lunar research made possible by the Apollo 11 mission.
Date Released: 1969
File #: MSC-70-528
Produced By: NASA/MSC
Program Duration: 25:47
Media: 16mm Film
Reel Length: 963 ft
Audio: Optical, Variable Area
Film Stock: Ektachrome
Film Stock Edge Code Date: 1969