Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2024 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Apollo 11's Close Call

Thirty-five years ago, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history by guiding their spacecraft down to the lunar surface. But few outside the control room in Houston knew that the first manned moon landing came perilously close to disaster.

With about 1,000 feet to go, Neil Armstrong realized that the lunar module's guidance computer was steering the ship toward a field of boulders. Armstrong took manual control of Eagle. But back on Earth, controllers began to worry -- Eagle was about to run out of fuel.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.