Payload Blog
The Explorer 6 satellite with its paddles up.

Sixty years ago, the Explorer 6 satellite captured and transmitted the first image of Earth. Read about the mission!

Categories: NASA History
Tags: NASA History

Apollo 11 laughing through quarantine window

Did you know that Apollo 11 astronauts were quarantined after their return to Earth? Learn about the events surrounding Apollo 11’s splashdown and the weeks following.


Buzz Aldrin saves the day with a felt tip pen

Hear how Buzz Aldrin used a felt tip pen to assist with the ascent off the lunar surface during Apollo 11.


As the world watched the outcome of Apollo 11, the first attempted lunar landing, employees in the NASA Mission Control Center held their breaths during the entire descent.

During this special "Tell Me A Story: Astronaut Tales," astronaut Charlie Duke recalls the tense moments in Mission Control as Apollo 11 landed on the Moon with less than a minute of descent fuel remaining.


Witnessing history on Florida's Space Coast

Imagine what Titusville, Florida looked like the day of the Apollo 11 launch. An Apollo test project engineer explains the community’s outpouring of excitement.