JULY 16, 2019: Fifty years ago today, Apollo 11 took off from Cape Kennedy on mankind’s first journey to walk on the moon. The crew included Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins.[1] ([link removed])
Six months earlier, Apollo 8 had become the first mission to leave earth’s gravitational field and orbit the moon. That was followed by Apollo 9 in March, the first time the lunar module was tested in flight.[2] ([link removed]) Apollo 9, however, never left earth's orbit.
In May, Apollo 10 followed Apollo 8’s path and became the second mission to orbit the moon. They even went a step further when astronauts Thomas P. Stafford and Eugene A. Cernan flew the lunar module within 10 miles of the moon’s surface. They made two passes over the expected Apollo 11 landing site.[3] ([link removed])
All of this was done in preparation for the launch of Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969. Following the launch, the crew orbited the earth for 2 ½ hours. They then reignited their engines and became the third crew to escape earth’s gravity. It would take them three days to reach the moon and journey into history.
** CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NUMBER OF THE DAY ONLINE→ ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day ([link removed]) explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
To see other recent numbers, check out the archive ([link removed]) .
Was this email forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day. ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
============================================================
_Scott Rasmussen is an editor-at-large for Ballotpedia, the Encyclopedia of American Politics. He is a senior fellow for the study of self-governance at the King’s College in New York. His most recent book, ** Politics Has Failed: America Will Not ([link removed])
** , ([link removed])
was published by the Sutherland Institute in August 2018._
-------------------------
Decide which emails you want from Ballotpedia.
** Unsubscribe [link removed]
or ** update your subscription preferences [link removed]
Ballotpedia
The Encyclopedia of American Politics
** 8383 Greenway Blvd., Suite 600 ([link removed])
** Middleton, WI 53562 ([link removed])
** [Facebook] ([link removed])
** [Twitter] ([link removed])