The Eagle lunar lander was the first spacecraft to take humans to the surface of the Earth's moon, doing so during the Apollo 11 mission. The Eagle carried astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., who were the first men to set foot on the moon. The lunar lander did not have a handle on the outside of the door, so Aldrin had to remember to not lock it on his way out.
More about the Eagle lunar lander:
- In case the lander was unable to reconnect with the command spacecraft after the moonwalk, journalist William Safire prepared an alternate speech to be read by US President Richard Nixon. In that speech, President Nixon would have praised the astronauts for their sacrifice and acknowledged hope for future space missions.
- After the Eagle returned to the command spacecraft, it was left behind in lunar orbit. It is presumed that it eventually crashed into the moon several months later.
- Armstrong's moon landing was so soft, the Eagle's shock absorbers did not compress, forcing Armstrong to jump down to get onto the moon's surface.
