How long did Neil Armstrong’s first moonwalk last?

Image source (Pixabay)

From the moment Neil Armstrong stepped out the Eagle Lunar Module, the Apollo 11 moonwalk lasted two hours and 36 minutes – not long considering the entire mission lasted more than eight days. The first thing he did after stepping onto the surface was to collect a sample of the soil in case they had to abandon the mission in a hurry.

Armstrong and his crewmate Buzz Aldrin then set up a variety of equipment including a TV camera and a flag, plus a host of experiments including a moonquake detector and a reflector, which could be used to measure the Moon’s precise distance from the Earth. They also collected further soil samples and took some famous holiday snaps.

Answered by Giles Sparrow


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