1 00:00:00,567 --> 00:00:01,868 ♪ ♪ 2 00:00:01,902 --> 00:00:06,039 NARRATOR: In the 1960s, the dream of a generation comes true. 3 00:00:06,073 --> 00:00:07,908 ARCHIVE: The Eagle has landed! 4 00:00:07,941 --> 00:00:10,977 NARRATOR: Human beings walk on another world... 5 00:00:11,011 --> 00:00:14,181 [Cheering and applause] 6 00:00:14,214 --> 00:00:17,651 ...arriving there in an incredible spacecraft. 7 00:00:17,684 --> 00:00:19,386 The Lunar Module. 8 00:00:19,419 --> 00:00:22,789 MARTY: It looks like something that came from outer space. 9 00:00:22,823 --> 00:00:24,725 GERALD: It turned out to be a bug! 10 00:00:24,758 --> 00:00:26,226 NARRATOR: Creating the Lunar Module 11 00:00:26,260 --> 00:00:28,963 is the ultimate engineering challenge. 12 00:00:28,996 --> 00:00:31,232 PAUL: If your Ascent engine doesn’t work you’re dead, 13 00:00:31,265 --> 00:00:33,100 simple as that. 14 00:00:33,133 --> 00:00:37,204 NARRATOR: It takes ingenuity and dogged determination. 15 00:00:37,237 --> 00:00:39,139 MARTY: The technology we had was crude 16 00:00:39,172 --> 00:00:41,808 compared to what exists today. 17 00:00:41,842 --> 00:00:45,546 GERARD: There was always difficulties and problems. 18 00:00:45,579 --> 00:00:48,382 NARRATOR: From risking lives on Earth... 19 00:00:48,415 --> 00:00:51,685 [Explosions] 20 00:00:51,718 --> 00:00:54,054 ...to saving lives in space. 21 00:00:54,087 --> 00:00:55,388 ASTRONAUT: Houston, we have a problem. 22 00:00:55,422 --> 00:00:57,624 NARRATOR: This is the story of the unsung heroes 23 00:00:57,658 --> 00:01:00,427 who build the world’s first spacecraft 24 00:01:00,460 --> 00:01:03,430 to land humans on the moon. 25 00:01:03,463 --> 00:01:05,865 NEIL: It’s one small step for man, 26 00:01:05,899 --> 00:01:08,235 one giant leap for mankind. 27 00:01:08,268 --> 00:01:16,810 [♪ theme music ♪] 28 00:01:16,843 --> 00:01:20,080 ♪ ♪ 29 00:01:20,113 --> 00:01:25,418 NARRATOR: The Lunar Module is an engineering marvel. 30 00:01:25,452 --> 00:01:27,054 The ultimate Winnebago 31 00:01:27,087 --> 00:01:30,691 made from 30 miles of electrical wiring... 32 00:01:30,724 --> 00:01:33,460 half a million rivets... 33 00:01:33,493 --> 00:01:40,400 and ultra-lightweight skin not much thicker than kitchen foil. 34 00:01:40,434 --> 00:01:43,404 It may look like an unconventional flying machine -- 35 00:01:43,437 --> 00:01:45,906 but it’s the culmination of millions of man hours 36 00:01:45,939 --> 00:01:49,309 of engineering prowess. 37 00:01:49,343 --> 00:01:51,579 PAUL: It was ugly, but it was beautiful in the fact 38 00:01:51,612 --> 00:01:57,751 that not an ounce was wasted. It’s all form follows function. 39 00:01:57,784 --> 00:02:01,988 NARRATOR: Between 1969 and 1972 the Lunar Modules 40 00:02:02,022 --> 00:02:05,025 carry 12 Americans to the moon’s surface 41 00:02:05,058 --> 00:02:08,895 on six Apollo missions. 42 00:02:08,929 --> 00:02:12,266 They are the spacecraft that make the dream of a generation 43 00:02:12,299 --> 00:02:13,801 come true. 44 00:02:13,834 --> 00:02:18,706 ♪ ♪ 45 00:02:18,739 --> 00:02:19,974 PRESIDENT KENNEDY: I believe that this nation 46 00:02:20,007 --> 00:02:23,344 should commit itself to achieving the goal, 47 00:02:23,377 --> 00:02:26,914 before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon 48 00:02:26,947 --> 00:02:31,485 and returning him safely to the Earth. 49 00:02:31,518 --> 00:02:34,488 NARRATOR: May 1961. 50 00:02:34,521 --> 00:02:37,724 Spurred on by the Cold War, President Kennedy delivers 51 00:02:37,758 --> 00:02:42,396 to NASA a seemingly impossible engineering challenge. 52 00:02:42,429 --> 00:02:46,366 To land the first men on the moon. 53 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:51,071 At the time Glynn Lunney is a young engineer at NASA. 54 00:02:51,104 --> 00:02:53,607 GLYNN: We were thinking that, wow, that is really 55 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:57,377 an incredible goal to set, 56 00:02:57,411 --> 00:03:00,848 and our minds immediately turned to, 57 00:03:00,881 --> 00:03:06,086 how are we gonna do that? 58 00:03:06,119 --> 00:03:07,621 NARRATOR: It’s all the more incredible 59 00:03:07,654 --> 00:03:10,891 as America’s only spaceflight experience happens 60 00:03:10,924 --> 00:03:15,896 just weeks before the President’s announcement. 61 00:03:15,929 --> 00:03:17,798 GLYNN: We just barely got Al Shepard up, 62 00:03:17,831 --> 00:03:24,771 and he flew a couple hundred miles in the air and came down. 63 00:03:24,805 --> 00:03:28,275 NARRATOR: Astronaut Alan Shepard’s short suborbital hop 64 00:03:28,308 --> 00:03:31,678 lasts just 15 minutes. 65 00:03:31,712 --> 00:03:38,219 Now the goal lies 240,000 miles away. 66 00:03:38,251 --> 00:03:40,920 Kennedy’s dream inspires some of America’s 67 00:03:40,954 --> 00:03:44,257 brightest young engineers. 68 00:03:44,291 --> 00:03:46,860 Like Marty Finkelman. 69 00:03:46,893 --> 00:03:49,262 MARTY: Nobody knew for sure whether we could do it. 70 00:03:49,296 --> 00:03:52,166 NARRATOR: And Stephen Rocamboli. 71 00:03:52,199 --> 00:03:53,400 STEPHEN: Everybody in the world was looking. 72 00:03:53,433 --> 00:03:57,637 What are the Americans doing? 73 00:03:57,671 --> 00:03:59,506 NARRATOR: Before anyone can set to work, 74 00:03:59,539 --> 00:04:03,376 NASA must make a critical choice. 75 00:04:03,410 --> 00:04:05,946 What’s the simplest and most achievable way 76 00:04:05,979 --> 00:04:08,748 of landing on the moon? 77 00:04:08,782 --> 00:04:11,184 PAUL: When the problem of landing on the moon 78 00:04:11,218 --> 00:04:14,221 really became serious and they had to look at it, 79 00:04:14,254 --> 00:04:16,823 the natural assumption is, 80 00:04:16,857 --> 00:04:20,427 look, it’s right there, let’s just go there and land. 81 00:04:20,460 --> 00:04:24,998 ♪ ♪ 82 00:04:25,031 --> 00:04:30,570 NARRATOR: This no-nonsense approach uses one giant rocket, 83 00:04:30,604 --> 00:04:34,174 in a method dubbed Direct Ascent. 84 00:04:34,207 --> 00:04:36,176 The rocket must be powerful enough 85 00:04:36,209 --> 00:04:39,713 to carry everything needed to reach the moon, 86 00:04:39,746 --> 00:04:43,850 including a big heavy spacecraft over 70 feet tall 87 00:04:43,884 --> 00:04:48,122 that lands on the lunar surface and then lifts off again 88 00:04:48,155 --> 00:04:50,624 to fly back to Earth. 89 00:04:50,657 --> 00:04:52,759 NARRATOR: But as engineers like Gerry Sandler 90 00:04:52,793 --> 00:04:57,631 are quick to point out -- Direct Ascent has a major flaw. 91 00:04:57,664 --> 00:05:01,001 GERRY: Direct Ascent required a great deal of thrust 92 00:05:01,034 --> 00:05:03,837 and a boost larger than anything we could have even imagined 93 00:05:03,870 --> 00:05:06,272 at that time. 94 00:05:06,306 --> 00:05:08,708 NARRATOR: Building a rocket this large and powerful 95 00:05:08,742 --> 00:05:14,214 is likely to make Kennedy’s deadline impossible. 96 00:05:14,247 --> 00:05:19,319 NASA needs an alternative solution. 97 00:05:19,352 --> 00:05:24,924 They explore a riskier method called Earth Orbit Rendezvous. 98 00:05:24,958 --> 00:05:29,930 This requires not one new giant rocket but two smaller rockets, 99 00:05:29,963 --> 00:05:32,165 each launching part of a spacecraft 100 00:05:32,199 --> 00:05:35,836 to be assembled in Earth’s orbit. 101 00:05:35,869 --> 00:05:41,308 But two rockets means double the risk of a failure at launch. 102 00:05:41,341 --> 00:05:45,445 NASA must make a decision quickly. 103 00:05:45,478 --> 00:05:51,184 Enter a young aerospace engineer, John Houbolt. 104 00:05:51,218 --> 00:05:54,021 He’s working on a radical idea. 105 00:05:54,054 --> 00:05:59,626 So radical -- it hasn’t been given the attention it deserves. 106 00:05:59,659 --> 00:06:01,427 PAUL: John Houbolt was the guy who said, 107 00:06:01,461 --> 00:06:04,030 look, you guys aren’t thinking about this properly. 108 00:06:04,064 --> 00:06:06,033 Every time I’ve brought this in front of you 109 00:06:06,066 --> 00:06:08,035 I’ve been dismissed. 110 00:06:08,068 --> 00:06:10,103 NARRATOR: Houbolt rejects Direct Ascent 111 00:06:10,136 --> 00:06:12,839 and Earth Orbit Rendezvous in favor of 112 00:06:12,873 --> 00:06:18,345 a more swiftly achievable method of getting to the moon. 113 00:06:18,378 --> 00:06:25,418 His unpopular idea is called Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, or LOR. 114 00:06:25,452 --> 00:06:29,690 It uses two small spacecraft. 115 00:06:29,723 --> 00:06:35,362 One, called the Lunar Module, descends to the moon’s surface, 116 00:06:35,395 --> 00:06:38,498 while the other, called the Command and Service Module, 117 00:06:38,531 --> 00:06:41,834 remains in lunar orbit. 118 00:06:41,868 --> 00:06:44,371 Once the astronauts have finished on the moon, 119 00:06:44,404 --> 00:06:46,973 the top stage of the Lunar Module returns them 120 00:06:47,007 --> 00:06:55,883 to rendezvous with the Command Module before it’s discarded. 121 00:06:55,916 --> 00:07:00,020 To Houbolt the advantages of LOR are obvious. 122 00:07:00,053 --> 00:07:01,488 PAUL: You need one less launcher, 123 00:07:01,521 --> 00:07:04,057 you don’t need the giant impossible rocket, 124 00:07:04,090 --> 00:07:08,928 and you can dedicate the lunar lander to do the one function, 125 00:07:08,962 --> 00:07:12,432 this difficult thing that we’ve never done before -- 126 00:07:12,465 --> 00:07:14,267 landing on the moon. 127 00:07:14,301 --> 00:07:18,739 NARRATOR: But for NASA, LOR has a nightmare scenario. 128 00:07:18,772 --> 00:07:21,375 PAUL: Lunar Orbit Rendezvous was very scary 129 00:07:21,408 --> 00:07:23,243 because if you miss the rendezvous, 130 00:07:23,276 --> 00:07:26,012 if this little ballet of spacecraft trying to join up 131 00:07:26,046 --> 00:07:29,049 doesn’t work, you’re dead. 132 00:07:29,082 --> 00:07:32,752 NARRATOR: But Houbolt isn’t discouraged. 133 00:07:32,786 --> 00:07:38,125 He gambles his career by going straight to the top. 134 00:07:38,158 --> 00:07:42,262 He writes a letter to one of NASA’s senior executives. 135 00:07:42,295 --> 00:07:45,098 JOHN: I fully realize that contacting you in this manner 136 00:07:45,131 --> 00:07:48,334 is somewhat unorthodox. 137 00:07:48,368 --> 00:07:50,871 NARRATOR: Houbolt goes on to lambast his managers 138 00:07:50,904 --> 00:07:54,841 for dismissing LOR. 139 00:07:54,874 --> 00:07:59,812 His conviction’s evident in a copy of his letter. 140 00:07:59,846 --> 00:08:04,551 PAUL: Wow. This is amazing. Yeah, you see this? 141 00:08:04,584 --> 00:08:06,352 "I’ve been appalled at the thinking of individuals 142 00:08:06,386 --> 00:08:08,822 and committees on these matters." 143 00:08:08,855 --> 00:08:13,026 NARRATOR: Houbolt lays it on the line and bluntly asks... 144 00:08:13,059 --> 00:08:16,529 JOHN: Do we want to get to the moon or not? 145 00:08:16,563 --> 00:08:20,667 PAUL: I would say this letter saved NASA from failure 146 00:08:20,700 --> 00:08:24,437 of landing on the moon in time. 147 00:08:24,471 --> 00:08:27,975 NARRATOR: As the clock ticks, NASA engineers finally accept 148 00:08:28,008 --> 00:08:33,814 the LOR method, and on July 11th, 1962, 149 00:08:33,847 --> 00:08:38,085 they announce their decision. 150 00:08:38,118 --> 00:08:41,722 Over a year since Kennedy’s speech, NASA is ready 151 00:08:41,755 --> 00:08:44,925 to choose a contractor to build the Lunar Lander 152 00:08:44,958 --> 00:08:49,129 and reach for the moon. 153 00:08:49,162 --> 00:08:55,769 One company stands out: aircraft manufacturer Grumman. 154 00:08:55,802 --> 00:09:00,340 In November 1962, they win the bid. 155 00:09:00,373 --> 00:09:05,645 But planning the lunar mission has cost precious time. 156 00:09:05,678 --> 00:09:09,215 Grumman engineers will feel the heat, 157 00:09:09,249 --> 00:09:15,255 spending the rest of the decade racing to get to the moon. 158 00:09:15,288 --> 00:09:17,524 ♪ ♪ 159 00:09:17,557 --> 00:09:19,526 A year and a half since Kennedy’s promise 160 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:22,562 to land men on the moon, Grumman engineers 161 00:09:22,595 --> 00:09:28,101 must turn their design for the Lunar Lander into a reality. 162 00:09:28,134 --> 00:09:31,004 They have a sterling record in constructing commercial planes 163 00:09:31,037 --> 00:09:33,907 and fighter jets. 164 00:09:33,940 --> 00:09:36,643 But now they face one of the greatest challenges 165 00:09:36,676 --> 00:09:39,979 in aviation history -- 166 00:09:40,013 --> 00:09:45,051 engineering a machine that flies not on Earth, but in space. 167 00:09:45,085 --> 00:09:52,459 ♪ ♪ 168 00:09:52,492 --> 00:09:54,961 The engineers’ initial inspiration comes 169 00:09:54,994 --> 00:09:59,232 from a familiar flying machine on Earth. 170 00:09:59,265 --> 00:10:01,167 PAUL: Their winning design was kind of like a helicopter 171 00:10:01,201 --> 00:10:03,870 with little legs, and the little legs were small, 172 00:10:03,903 --> 00:10:06,172 and they had little pads. 173 00:10:06,206 --> 00:10:08,809 NARRATOR: Grumman’s lunar lander seizes on the design 174 00:10:08,842 --> 00:10:12,946 of the helicopter for one critical reason. 175 00:10:12,979 --> 00:10:20,286 The astronauts must be able to search for a safe place to land. 176 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:23,156 Almost nothing is known about the lunar surface, 177 00:10:23,189 --> 00:10:29,862 other than it will be unforgiving and treacherous. 178 00:10:29,896 --> 00:10:34,033 A young pioneering rocket scientist, Gerard Elverum, 179 00:10:34,067 --> 00:10:36,937 would be crucial in finding a solution. 180 00:10:36,970 --> 00:10:39,406 GERARD: There were a lot of speculation about 181 00:10:39,439 --> 00:10:41,875 what the surface of the moon was, 182 00:10:41,908 --> 00:10:45,345 whether there was six feet of dust up on the moon 183 00:10:45,378 --> 00:10:49,349 or whether it was a few inches. 184 00:10:49,382 --> 00:10:52,418 NARRATOR: Engineers know it’s going to be dangerous. 185 00:10:52,452 --> 00:10:55,622 They need to predict how the Lunar Module will react on 186 00:10:55,655 --> 00:11:01,928 touchdown and design everything to prevent a crash landing, 187 00:11:01,961 --> 00:11:10,736 which would leave the astronauts stranded on the moon to die. 188 00:11:10,770 --> 00:11:16,209 Engineers must help avert this worst-case scenario. 189 00:11:16,242 --> 00:11:19,545 GERARD: Being able to hover and spend some time 190 00:11:19,579 --> 00:11:24,050 finding where you want to sit down became very important. 191 00:11:24,083 --> 00:11:29,989 ♪ ♪ 192 00:11:30,023 --> 00:11:32,626 NARRATOR: The astronauts practice in this -- 193 00:11:32,659 --> 00:11:39,866 a NASA test vehicle dubbed the Flying Bedstead. 194 00:11:39,899 --> 00:11:43,803 It’s inherently dangerous. 195 00:11:43,836 --> 00:11:49,842 [Explosions] 196 00:11:49,876 --> 00:11:53,513 ♪ ♪ 197 00:11:53,546 --> 00:11:55,815 Elverum is challenged with designing a way 198 00:11:55,848 --> 00:11:58,017 to allow the astronauts to maneuver 199 00:11:58,051 --> 00:12:01,621 while descending to the moon’s surface. 200 00:12:01,654 --> 00:12:04,757 His solution is to devise a spacecraft engine 201 00:12:04,791 --> 00:12:07,360 that can throttle. 202 00:12:07,393 --> 00:12:10,897 GERARD: It was brand new technology. 203 00:12:10,930 --> 00:12:15,868 So these two valves here control the flow rate 204 00:12:15,902 --> 00:12:21,107 coming from the tanks in the descent stage. 205 00:12:21,140 --> 00:12:23,609 NARRATOR: By controlling the supply of propellant to the 206 00:12:23,643 --> 00:12:28,114 Descent engine, the astronauts can control its thrust, 207 00:12:28,147 --> 00:12:33,152 allowing them to maneuver like a helicopter. 208 00:12:33,186 --> 00:12:38,425 But landing safely on the moon is only half the problem. 209 00:12:38,458 --> 00:12:43,029 The other half is building an engine to get them off the moon. 210 00:12:43,062 --> 00:12:46,566 It would be known as the Ascent engine. 211 00:12:46,599 --> 00:12:48,000 PAUL: The problem with the Ascent engine, 212 00:12:48,034 --> 00:12:50,770 the difficulty was that it had to work every time. 213 00:12:50,803 --> 00:12:52,438 That’s a single point of failure. 214 00:12:52,472 --> 00:12:55,008 If your Ascent engine doesn’t work you’re dead. 215 00:12:55,041 --> 00:12:56,776 Simple as that. 216 00:12:56,809 --> 00:12:59,545 NARRATOR: Like the Descent engine, the Ascent engine 217 00:12:59,579 --> 00:13:03,917 must be as simple and as reliable as possible. 218 00:13:03,950 --> 00:13:06,519 Fresh out of college with a degree in aeronautical 219 00:13:06,552 --> 00:13:10,890 engineering, Tim Harmon is tasked with the challenge. 220 00:13:10,923 --> 00:13:15,528 TIM: We had to keep it simple, and NASA realized that as well. 221 00:13:15,561 --> 00:13:18,531 Not a lot of complexity. 222 00:13:18,564 --> 00:13:21,200 NARRATOR: Keeping it simple means stripping out as many 223 00:13:21,234 --> 00:13:28,808 moving parts as possible -- pumps, valves and turbines. 224 00:13:28,841 --> 00:13:32,278 But the engineers then face another challenge. 225 00:13:32,312 --> 00:13:34,915 If you rip the heart out of a rocket engine, 226 00:13:34,947 --> 00:13:38,617 how do you get it to fire? 227 00:13:38,651 --> 00:13:42,655 The answer lies with the fuel itself. 228 00:13:42,689 --> 00:13:46,092 PAUL: You use propellants that don’t need an igniter, 229 00:13:46,125 --> 00:13:48,394 that don’t need a turbine, a bunch of moving parts, 230 00:13:48,428 --> 00:13:51,665 to suck ’em in and then burn them. 231 00:13:51,698 --> 00:13:54,935 TIM: There are certain combinations of propellants that, 232 00:13:54,967 --> 00:13:59,972 if you mix them, they automatically ignite. 233 00:14:00,006 --> 00:14:03,276 PAUL: One look at each other and they explode on contact. 234 00:14:03,309 --> 00:14:05,912 [Explosion] 235 00:14:05,945 --> 00:14:07,747 NARRATOR: It’s pure simplicity. 236 00:14:07,780 --> 00:14:09,682 Push the two propellants together 237 00:14:09,716 --> 00:14:17,057 in the engine’s combustion chamber, and bang! 238 00:14:17,090 --> 00:14:22,495 But using these self-igniting fuels comes at a cost. 239 00:14:22,528 --> 00:14:25,364 They’re so corrosive that at the end of a test 240 00:14:25,398 --> 00:14:28,268 each engine has to be rebuilt. 241 00:14:28,301 --> 00:14:32,839 It means the final assembly of an engine can never be tested. 242 00:14:32,872 --> 00:14:34,640 DICK: They’d build an engine and they would take it out 243 00:14:34,674 --> 00:14:37,911 to a facility that we had in White Sands, New Mexico, 244 00:14:37,944 --> 00:14:40,880 and they would fire the engine up. 245 00:14:40,913 --> 00:14:43,048 After they fired the engine up, 246 00:14:43,082 --> 00:14:46,786 they would take the entire engine apart and clean it 247 00:14:46,819 --> 00:14:48,521 and reassemble it. 248 00:14:48,554 --> 00:14:50,856 That engine would not be re-fired again 249 00:14:50,890 --> 00:14:55,128 until it was on the mission. 250 00:14:55,161 --> 00:14:58,297 NARRATOR: So when the astronauts use the Ascent engine, 251 00:14:58,331 --> 00:15:05,071 they’ll be gambling with their lives. 252 00:15:05,104 --> 00:15:09,609 These two engines control the two-part Lunar Lander. 253 00:15:09,642 --> 00:15:12,512 The Descent Stage with its throttling engine 254 00:15:12,545 --> 00:15:17,917 flies the astronauts to a soft lunar landing. 255 00:15:17,950 --> 00:15:20,886 And the Ascent Stage launches them safely 256 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:24,257 back into lunar orbit. 257 00:15:24,290 --> 00:15:28,294 But Grumman’s design is still in its infancy. 258 00:15:28,327 --> 00:15:31,497 As they begin to build, they soon start battling against 259 00:15:31,531 --> 00:15:35,068 every space engineer’s enemy. 260 00:15:35,101 --> 00:15:39,973 Weight. 261 00:15:40,006 --> 00:15:42,775 Like the astronauts, the Lunar Module will be carried 262 00:15:42,809 --> 00:15:49,582 into space by NASA’s mighty Saturn V rocket. 263 00:15:49,615 --> 00:15:53,652 But there’s only so much it can lift. 264 00:15:53,686 --> 00:15:57,890 The problem is, the Lunar Module keeps getting heavier. 265 00:15:57,924 --> 00:16:00,894 DICK: The weight started to climb, and we went 20,000 pounds, 266 00:16:00,927 --> 00:16:04,831 we went 22,000 pounds, 24,000 pounds, err... 267 00:16:04,864 --> 00:16:08,668 It was, it was a constant battle. 268 00:16:08,701 --> 00:16:12,038 NARRATOR: By October 1964 the Lunar Module’s weight 269 00:16:12,071 --> 00:16:15,942 has ballooned to a crippling level. 270 00:16:15,975 --> 00:16:20,646 STEPHEN: Whenever you went to work, even if you made a change, everybody 271 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:23,983 was saying, well, what’s the implication for weight? 272 00:16:24,016 --> 00:16:27,152 It was there all the time. 273 00:16:27,186 --> 00:16:31,157 DICK: The LEM being overweight late in the program 274 00:16:31,190 --> 00:16:35,795 generated what I would call, uh, a bit of a panic. 275 00:16:35,828 --> 00:16:37,997 NARRATOR: Something has to give. 276 00:16:38,030 --> 00:16:43,736 So Grumman wages all-out war on weight. 277 00:16:43,769 --> 00:16:49,842 Engineers start by shaving off every spare ounce of metal. 278 00:16:49,876 --> 00:16:53,179 DICK: We would be paid $40,000 a pound 279 00:16:53,212 --> 00:16:57,316 for every pound of material that we could scrape off. 280 00:16:57,350 --> 00:16:59,752 NARRATOR: Every part of the Lunar Module’s design 281 00:16:59,785 --> 00:17:01,654 is then re-assessed. 282 00:17:01,687 --> 00:17:03,489 DICK: You wanted to have great visibility, 283 00:17:03,523 --> 00:17:09,696 so they had big windows. Now, glass is very, very heavy. 284 00:17:09,729 --> 00:17:12,632 NARRATOR: The large windows are replaced 285 00:17:12,665 --> 00:17:16,102 with smaller, lighter ones. 286 00:17:16,135 --> 00:17:20,940 But now the seated astronauts can’t see where to land. 287 00:17:20,973 --> 00:17:23,275 GERRY: Somebody came up with the brilliant idea, 288 00:17:23,309 --> 00:17:26,779 why don’t we just put restraints on the crew 289 00:17:26,812 --> 00:17:30,349 and have them stand up facing the window and leaning over, 290 00:17:30,383 --> 00:17:32,819 and get the same angles? 291 00:17:32,852 --> 00:17:35,888 NARRATOR: While descending to the moon, flying sitting down 292 00:17:35,922 --> 00:17:40,293 or standing up makes little difference. 293 00:17:40,326 --> 00:17:47,166 It’s an ingenious weight-saving idea. 294 00:17:47,199 --> 00:17:50,836 Engineers must then find the lightest materials possible 295 00:17:50,870 --> 00:17:56,476 for every part of the Lunar Module. 296 00:17:56,509 --> 00:17:58,978 PAUL: The astronauts lived inside this air balloon 297 00:17:59,011 --> 00:18:02,448 made of metal, and this is the thickness of that balloon. 298 00:18:02,481 --> 00:18:05,484 The astronauts would be on this side, where there was oxygen. 299 00:18:05,518 --> 00:18:07,787 On this side was the deadly vacuum of space. 300 00:18:07,820 --> 00:18:11,490 Twelve-thousandths of an inch thick is all that was. 301 00:18:11,524 --> 00:18:13,359 NARRATOR: In all, the engineers shave off 302 00:18:13,392 --> 00:18:15,728 more than two thousand pounds 303 00:18:15,761 --> 00:18:23,102 and transform the appearance of their Lunar Lander. 304 00:18:23,135 --> 00:18:27,740 Gone are the helicopter-like windows and seats. 305 00:18:27,773 --> 00:18:31,644 Five legs become four. 306 00:18:31,677 --> 00:18:36,248 The circular hatch becomes square. 307 00:18:36,282 --> 00:18:41,721 Heavy panels are replaced with facets of thin aluminum. 308 00:18:41,754 --> 00:18:47,560 By 1967, Grumman has their spacecraft. 309 00:18:47,593 --> 00:18:52,531 But it hasn’t even left the workshop. 310 00:18:52,565 --> 00:19:01,074 When it does, the pressure on the engineers skyrockets. 311 00:19:01,107 --> 00:19:05,745 June 1967, the first Lunar Module, LEM1, 312 00:19:05,778 --> 00:19:09,448 arrives at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 313 00:19:09,482 --> 00:19:13,219 It’s already months behind schedule. 314 00:19:13,252 --> 00:19:15,755 And before it can fly, the Lunar Module 315 00:19:15,788 --> 00:19:19,592 must pass NASA’s stringent tests 316 00:19:19,625 --> 00:19:22,661 to see if it can keep two astronauts alive 317 00:19:22,695 --> 00:19:25,898 in the moon’s lethal environment. 318 00:19:25,931 --> 00:19:28,000 STEPHEN: When the LEM goes down to Cape Kennedy, 319 00:19:28,034 --> 00:19:31,671 you know what the first thing they do? They take it apart. 320 00:19:31,704 --> 00:19:33,839 Everything gets taken apart. 321 00:19:33,873 --> 00:19:35,908 NARRATOR: What they find is a disaster 322 00:19:35,941 --> 00:19:37,976 for the Grumman engineers. 323 00:19:38,010 --> 00:19:41,747 The welds on LEM1’s fuel tanks and fuel lines 324 00:19:41,781 --> 00:19:43,583 have a critical problem. 325 00:19:43,616 --> 00:19:46,119 PAUL: They opened it up, they tested it for leaks. 326 00:19:46,152 --> 00:19:47,587 It leaked like a sieve. 327 00:19:47,620 --> 00:19:51,457 They couldn’t believe how badly it leaked. 328 00:19:51,490 --> 00:19:56,795 NARRATOR: The tanks’ welds are riddled with microscopic holes. 329 00:19:56,829 --> 00:19:59,532 Grumman thought their welds were up to standard, 330 00:19:59,565 --> 00:20:02,902 but NASA’s tests are more rigorous. 331 00:20:02,935 --> 00:20:07,673 Unsafe to fly, the Lunar Module is grounded. 332 00:20:07,707 --> 00:20:10,176 DICK: Well, certainly it causes embarrassment, 333 00:20:10,209 --> 00:20:16,382 and to have a setback like that is serious. 334 00:20:16,415 --> 00:20:19,818 NARRATOR: The weld repairs take the engineers 3 months, 335 00:20:19,852 --> 00:20:26,225 delaying LEM1’s flight further. 336 00:20:26,258 --> 00:20:29,128 Meanwhile, back at Grumman in New York, 337 00:20:29,161 --> 00:20:36,235 another crisis throws the schedule into disarray. 338 00:20:36,268 --> 00:20:42,274 It happens toward the end of 1967 during a pressure test. 339 00:20:42,308 --> 00:20:44,410 PAUL: In December, Lunar Module #5, Eagle, 340 00:20:44,443 --> 00:20:47,112 the first one to land on the moon, its window blew out 341 00:20:47,146 --> 00:20:51,017 during a standard test. This was completely unexpected. 342 00:20:51,050 --> 00:20:56,188 [Glass shattering] 343 00:20:56,222 --> 00:21:00,326 STEPHEN: I hear the LEM has had a window failure. 344 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:02,261 Oh my God, had a window failure? 345 00:21:02,294 --> 00:21:06,632 Right away I said that would cause an astronaut to die. 346 00:21:06,665 --> 00:21:08,967 NARRATOR: The window has a critical flaw 347 00:21:09,001 --> 00:21:14,406 which was missed in the inspection. 348 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:20,346 But the broken glass also poses a major threat. 349 00:21:20,379 --> 00:21:24,717 STEPHEN: There’s plexiglass and glass all over the interior 350 00:21:24,750 --> 00:21:32,224 of the LEM. There’s, I could see, wires cut, nicked. 351 00:21:32,258 --> 00:21:34,427 NARRATOR: A single shard could short circuit, 352 00:21:34,460 --> 00:21:38,965 the LEM electrics, or worse, severely injure an astronaut 353 00:21:38,998 --> 00:21:40,967 if it’s inhaled. 354 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,437 STEPHEN: I am overwhelmed. I’m going, oh my God, 355 00:21:44,470 --> 00:21:50,242 what are we gonna do? I said, shall we scrap it? 356 00:21:50,276 --> 00:21:51,978 NARRATOR: But Grumman knows that scrapping a 357 00:21:52,011 --> 00:21:56,415 multi-million-dollar spacecraft simply isn’t an option. 358 00:21:56,448 --> 00:22:01,987 Instead they have no choice but to try and save LEM5. 359 00:22:02,021 --> 00:22:05,658 So NASA implements a meticulous clean-up job, 360 00:22:05,691 --> 00:22:12,131 and young engineer Steve Rocamboli is on the front line. 361 00:22:12,164 --> 00:22:15,100 STEPHEN: We could not even see what we were cleaning at times. 362 00:22:15,134 --> 00:22:18,170 There were people with camel hair brushes and filter paper, 363 00:22:18,204 --> 00:22:21,641 and they would go like this and collect particles 364 00:22:21,674 --> 00:22:25,478 on the filter paper that were sent to a quality lab 365 00:22:25,511 --> 00:22:30,383 where our inspectors would count the number of particles 366 00:22:30,416 --> 00:22:32,985 and the size of the particles. 367 00:22:33,018 --> 00:22:35,020 NARRATOR: NASA’s criteria for cleanliness 368 00:22:35,054 --> 00:22:37,523 is agonizingly stringent. 369 00:22:37,556 --> 00:22:39,825 First, every inch of the spacecraft 370 00:22:39,859 --> 00:22:44,030 is photographed in detail. 371 00:22:44,063 --> 00:22:46,566 Then, every fragment of glass collected 372 00:22:46,599 --> 00:22:51,571 from each photographed area is removed from the Lunar Module... 373 00:22:51,604 --> 00:22:54,207 placed under a microscope... 374 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,110 and precisely measured. 375 00:22:57,142 --> 00:22:59,411 STEPHEN: If you had so many particles of a certain size 376 00:22:59,445 --> 00:23:04,083 and density then it would be a problem. 377 00:23:04,116 --> 00:23:07,553 NARRATOR: After a 3-month clean up, NASA finally declares 378 00:23:07,586 --> 00:23:13,725 the Lunar Module is safe for its astronauts. 379 00:23:13,759 --> 00:23:16,262 As Kennedy’s deadline bears down, 380 00:23:16,295 --> 00:23:20,266 the milestones come thick and fast for the engineers. 381 00:23:20,299 --> 00:23:23,569 The millions of hours they have spent on the Lunar Module 382 00:23:23,602 --> 00:23:27,005 begin to pay off. 383 00:23:27,039 --> 00:23:31,110 In March 1969 Grumman’s spacecraft is finally ready 384 00:23:31,143 --> 00:23:35,514 for its first manned test flight. 385 00:23:35,547 --> 00:23:37,015 MISSION CONTROL: The engines are armed; 386 00:23:37,049 --> 00:23:46,191 4, 3, 2, 1, 0... we have liftoff. 387 00:23:46,225 --> 00:23:52,031 NARRATOR: Apollo 9 blasts off with three astronauts on board. 388 00:23:52,064 --> 00:23:55,568 In Earth orbit, the bug-like spacecraft practices 389 00:23:55,601 --> 00:23:59,371 undocking and docking with the Command Module. 390 00:23:59,405 --> 00:24:04,043 APOLLO 9: I have about 370 feet. Okay. 391 00:24:04,076 --> 00:24:08,113 NARRATOR: The test is a complete success. 392 00:24:08,147 --> 00:24:11,484 Two months later, Apollo 10 takes the Lunar Module 393 00:24:11,517 --> 00:24:15,654 even further, 394 00:24:15,688 --> 00:24:20,226 this time descending to within 9 miles of the moon. 395 00:24:20,259 --> 00:24:25,331 ASTRONAUT: Very pretty. 396 00:24:25,364 --> 00:24:29,101 NARRATOR: Now it’s time to head all the way 397 00:24:29,134 --> 00:24:31,336 to the moon’s surface. 398 00:24:31,370 --> 00:24:40,546 ♪ ♪ 399 00:24:40,579 --> 00:24:45,884 On July 16th, 1969, Apollo 11 thunders skyward 400 00:24:45,918 --> 00:24:49,555 from Cape Kennedy. 401 00:24:49,588 --> 00:24:51,757 MISSION CONTROL: Liftoff. We have a liftoff. 402 00:24:51,790 --> 00:24:56,028 32 minutes past the hour. Liftoff on Apollo 11. 403 00:24:56,061 --> 00:25:07,172 ♪ ♪ 404 00:25:07,206 --> 00:25:11,110 NARRATOR: Four days later, in lunar orbit, Apollo 11’s crew 405 00:25:11,143 --> 00:25:14,413 powers up the fifth Lunar Module, Eagle, 406 00:25:14,446 --> 00:25:17,149 ready for its descent to the surface. 407 00:25:17,182 --> 00:25:21,453 MISSION CONTROL: Go for undocking. 408 00:25:21,487 --> 00:25:23,556 ASTRONAUT: Roger, Eagle has undocked. 409 00:25:23,589 --> 00:25:26,258 MISSION CONTROL: Roger, how does it look? 410 00:25:26,291 --> 00:25:27,959 ASTRONAUT: The Eagle has wings. 411 00:25:27,993 --> 00:25:31,296 MISSION CONTROL: ...over. 412 00:25:31,330 --> 00:25:34,300 NARRATOR: After seven long years this is the opportunity 413 00:25:34,333 --> 00:25:38,804 for the engineers to beat Kennedy’s deadline. 414 00:25:38,837 --> 00:25:42,407 Now their spacecraft must carry two astronauts 415 00:25:42,441 --> 00:25:46,645 on humanity’s most dangerous journey. 416 00:25:46,678 --> 00:25:49,748 DICK: I was concerned about everything. 417 00:25:49,782 --> 00:25:54,654 The money was on the line now. We were going to the moon. 418 00:25:54,686 --> 00:25:57,055 NARRATOR: Their worries are well-founded. 419 00:25:57,089 --> 00:26:02,995 Eagle’s flight will be far from plain sailing. 420 00:26:03,028 --> 00:26:06,632 July 20th, 1969. 421 00:26:06,665 --> 00:26:10,269 Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin 422 00:26:10,302 --> 00:26:14,873 begin man’s first journey to the moon’s surface 423 00:26:14,907 --> 00:26:19,211 aboard their Lunar Module called Eagle. 424 00:26:19,244 --> 00:26:22,914 Now it’s crunch time for the engineers who built it. 425 00:26:22,948 --> 00:26:25,818 MISSION CONTROL: You got a fine-looking flying machine there, Eagle. 426 00:26:25,851 --> 00:26:29,922 NARRATOR: Will Eagle withstand a lunar landing? 427 00:26:29,955 --> 00:26:31,156 MISSION CONTROL: Okay, everybody, let’s hang tight 428 00:26:31,190 --> 00:26:36,162 and look for landing radar. 429 00:26:36,195 --> 00:26:38,297 NARRATOR: The mission hinges on a computer 430 00:26:38,330 --> 00:26:41,600 to guide them down to the lunar surface. 431 00:26:41,633 --> 00:26:44,970 But it has just 1 megahertz of computing speed, 432 00:26:45,003 --> 00:26:49,908 over a thousand times slower than a smartphone. 433 00:26:49,942 --> 00:26:52,278 Such a small amount of processing speed 434 00:26:52,311 --> 00:26:54,947 could prove a showstopper. 435 00:26:54,980 --> 00:26:56,014 NEIL: Program Alarm. 436 00:26:56,048 --> 00:26:59,552 BUZZ: 1202 alarm. 437 00:26:59,585 --> 00:27:03,789 NARRATOR: 1202 is a computer alarm. 438 00:27:03,822 --> 00:27:06,992 Neither astronauts nor most in Mission Control have 439 00:27:07,025 --> 00:27:11,663 a clue how it will interfere with the lunar landing, 440 00:27:11,697 --> 00:27:15,501 including flight director Glynn Lunney. 441 00:27:15,534 --> 00:27:19,038 GLYNN: Oh, yes. I mean, it caused a lot of concern to people 442 00:27:19,071 --> 00:27:23,175 because they all knew that it was a risk to the landing. 443 00:27:23,208 --> 00:27:25,444 They had to decide whether to continue and land 444 00:27:25,477 --> 00:27:27,446 or whether they had to abort. 445 00:27:27,479 --> 00:27:30,816 NARRATOR: They’re within just 40,000 feet of the surface. 446 00:27:30,849 --> 00:27:33,185 But everything the engineers have worked for 447 00:27:33,218 --> 00:27:36,321 hangs in the balance. 448 00:27:36,355 --> 00:27:39,225 One navigation engineer, Jack Garman, 449 00:27:39,258 --> 00:27:42,128 knows what the 1202 alarm means. 450 00:27:42,161 --> 00:27:45,131 He’d seen it before in a simulation landing. 451 00:27:45,164 --> 00:27:48,100 GLYNN: What it amounted to was the computer was issuing 452 00:27:48,133 --> 00:27:52,204 an alarm that says, you are asking me to do too much; 453 00:27:52,237 --> 00:27:55,941 you have overloaded me, the small computer. 454 00:27:55,974 --> 00:27:58,109 NARRATOR: There’s no way of rebooting the computer 455 00:27:58,143 --> 00:28:00,278 to cancel the alarm. 456 00:28:00,312 --> 00:28:02,748 The question is, can the computer keep up 457 00:28:02,781 --> 00:28:04,983 and navigate a landing? 458 00:28:05,017 --> 00:28:07,620 If not they must abort the mission. 459 00:28:07,653 --> 00:28:10,322 ASTRONAUT: Give us a reading on the 1202 program alarm. 460 00:28:10,355 --> 00:28:12,958 PAUL: Jack Garman is looking down at his little cheat sheet, 461 00:28:12,991 --> 00:28:15,794 and he realizes that this alarm problem is one 462 00:28:15,827 --> 00:28:18,797 that cropped up unsuspectedly earlier on 463 00:28:18,830 --> 00:28:20,899 in one of their test training places 464 00:28:20,933 --> 00:28:23,402 and realizes, oh, we can still keep flying 465 00:28:23,435 --> 00:28:25,404 as long as it’s this alarm. 466 00:28:25,437 --> 00:28:28,840 TOM: Jack Garman said, ignore the alarms. 467 00:28:28,874 --> 00:28:33,078 Everything is okay. The vehicle is safe to land. 468 00:28:33,111 --> 00:28:34,779 MISSION CONTROL: We’re go on that flight. 469 00:28:34,813 --> 00:28:37,249 NARRATOR: Jack Garman and the other young engineers 470 00:28:37,282 --> 00:28:41,453 save the astronauts from a last-minute abort. 471 00:28:41,486 --> 00:28:43,521 MISSION CONTROL: You’re go for landing, over. 472 00:28:43,555 --> 00:28:46,358 NARRATOR: Apollo 11 is back on track. 473 00:28:46,391 --> 00:28:48,260 MISSION CONTROL: Go for landing. 474 00:28:48,293 --> 00:28:52,364 NARRATOR: The fragile spacecraft closes in on the lunar surface. 475 00:28:52,397 --> 00:28:56,334 But heart rates in Houston are about to rocket once again. 476 00:28:56,368 --> 00:28:59,104 GERARD: As they looked at where they were supposed to land, 477 00:28:59,137 --> 00:29:02,741 they found that the whole terrain was filled 478 00:29:02,774 --> 00:29:05,610 with boulders and rocks. 479 00:29:05,644 --> 00:29:09,047 NARRATOR: So Armstrong makes a crucial decision. 480 00:29:09,081 --> 00:29:12,084 He accelerates and flies horizontally 481 00:29:12,117 --> 00:29:18,457 to clear the boulder field, using up precious fuel. 482 00:29:18,490 --> 00:29:21,760 MISSION CONTROL: Two fuel only... critical... 483 00:29:21,793 --> 00:29:25,330 NARRATOR: Eagle’s fuel gauge is critically low. 484 00:29:25,364 --> 00:29:28,300 NARRATOR: But incredibly, unbeknownst to both astronauts 485 00:29:28,333 --> 00:29:31,436 and Mission Control, the fuel readings they’re seeing 486 00:29:31,470 --> 00:29:37,576 don’t match what’s actually left in Eagle’s tank. 487 00:29:37,609 --> 00:29:42,914 It all comes down to something called fuel slosh. 488 00:29:42,948 --> 00:29:46,452 PAUL: Fuel slosh was an unexpected problem on the spacecraft. 489 00:29:46,485 --> 00:29:49,154 Because the tanks are round at the bottom 490 00:29:49,187 --> 00:29:51,089 and the spacecraft is moving around, 491 00:29:51,123 --> 00:29:54,760 the propellant is doing this kind of stuff. 492 00:29:54,793 --> 00:29:56,728 And there’s a little indicator at the bottom 493 00:29:56,762 --> 00:29:59,999 that gives ’em an idea of when they’re at low level. 494 00:30:00,032 --> 00:30:01,734 On Apollo 11, because of the slosh, 495 00:30:01,767 --> 00:30:05,504 it was uncovered about almost 40 seconds early. 496 00:30:05,537 --> 00:30:09,808 NARRATOR: The indicators falsely show a low fuel level. 497 00:30:09,841 --> 00:30:12,243 But astronauts and Mission Control are unaware 498 00:30:12,277 --> 00:30:16,248 of the problem, and in a race against time. 499 00:30:16,281 --> 00:30:19,284 PAUL: That’s 40 seconds less time for Armstrong to find 500 00:30:19,318 --> 00:30:22,788 a place to land, which was crucial for him. 501 00:30:22,821 --> 00:30:25,857 MISSION CONTROL: 75 feet... 502 00:30:25,891 --> 00:30:27,459 NARRATOR: Engineer Dick Wilde, 503 00:30:27,492 --> 00:30:33,131 monitoring the life support systems, sees the drama unfold. 504 00:30:33,165 --> 00:30:38,470 DICK: A minute and a half remaining, a minute remaining, 505 00:30:38,503 --> 00:30:42,741 30 seconds remaining, and the guys who were 506 00:30:42,774 --> 00:30:46,978 managing the fuel supply were jumping up and down, 507 00:30:47,012 --> 00:30:50,315 and one of them yelled out, for everybody to hear, 508 00:30:50,349 --> 00:30:52,451 "Land the goddamn thing." 509 00:30:52,484 --> 00:30:54,353 GERARD: And I was sitting back there saying, 510 00:30:54,386 --> 00:30:59,658 "Armstrong, set it down. Set it down. Don’t abort the thing." 511 00:30:59,691 --> 00:31:04,596 ASTRONAUTS: Picking up some dust... 512 00:31:04,629 --> 00:31:09,968 Okay, engines stop! In a descent. We’ve had shutdown. 513 00:31:10,001 --> 00:31:12,003 MISSION CONTROL: We copy you down, Eagle. 514 00:31:12,037 --> 00:31:15,173 Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed! 515 00:31:15,207 --> 00:31:18,310 ASTRONAUTS: Roger, Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. 516 00:31:18,343 --> 00:31:20,312 You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. 517 00:31:20,345 --> 00:31:23,181 We’re breathing again. Thanks a lot! 518 00:31:23,215 --> 00:31:25,050 MISSION CONTROL: Thank you! 519 00:31:25,083 --> 00:31:32,123 DICK: They landed it with seconds of fuel remaining. 520 00:31:32,157 --> 00:31:35,193 That was excitement. 521 00:31:35,227 --> 00:31:38,897 NARRATOR: In reality Armstrong has 40 seconds more fuel 522 00:31:38,930 --> 00:31:41,199 than everyone thinks. 523 00:31:41,233 --> 00:31:43,469 To the engineers it seems the astronauts 524 00:31:43,502 --> 00:31:46,872 have just escaped certain death. 525 00:31:46,905 --> 00:31:51,443 GERARD: The feeling I had when it happened is, it’s done, 526 00:31:51,476 --> 00:31:54,980 never could be undone, you know. 527 00:31:55,013 --> 00:32:00,385 These are the first guys to land on another body from Earth. 528 00:32:00,419 --> 00:32:03,923 And you can’t take that away from me, 529 00:32:03,955 --> 00:32:11,329 and it was my engine that allowed it to happen. 530 00:32:11,363 --> 00:32:22,274 NEIL: It’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. 531 00:32:22,307 --> 00:32:26,278 NARRATOR: A decade-long struggle for the Lunar Module engineers 532 00:32:26,311 --> 00:32:29,381 has finally paid off. 533 00:32:29,414 --> 00:32:34,252 But one engineer is still waiting with bated breath. 534 00:32:34,286 --> 00:32:39,324 Tom Moser designed the US flag for Apollo 11. 535 00:32:39,357 --> 00:32:41,893 TOM: I didn’t think it was a show stopper. 536 00:32:41,927 --> 00:32:45,063 I thought doing something like that was something 537 00:32:45,096 --> 00:32:48,132 that was pretty straightforward. 538 00:32:48,166 --> 00:32:51,836 NARRATOR: Moser has engineered a horizontal pole for the flag 539 00:32:51,870 --> 00:32:54,039 designed to stop it from hanging limp 540 00:32:54,072 --> 00:32:57,742 in the moon’s zero atmosphere. 541 00:32:57,776 --> 00:33:01,747 TOM: The rod had an improper coating on it. 542 00:33:01,780 --> 00:33:03,649 So it wouldn’t extend all the way. 543 00:33:03,682 --> 00:33:07,719 So it looked like the flag was waving in the breeze. 544 00:33:07,752 --> 00:33:09,354 NARRATOR: The flag’s support pole is 545 00:33:09,387 --> 00:33:12,724 a little-known engineering failure. 546 00:33:12,757 --> 00:33:16,361 And leads many to believe the whole mission is a conspiracy 547 00:33:16,394 --> 00:33:19,130 staged here on Earth. 548 00:33:19,164 --> 00:33:21,667 TOM: There’s no atmosphere, there’s no wind up there. 549 00:33:21,700 --> 00:33:23,735 So how could it be waving? It wasn’t waving. 550 00:33:23,768 --> 00:33:32,644 It was just, it was not able to unfurl all the way. 551 00:33:32,677 --> 00:33:34,946 ♪ ♪ 552 00:33:34,980 --> 00:33:39,485 NARRATOR: The astronauts explore the moon for just a few hours. 553 00:33:39,518 --> 00:33:43,622 Now comes the part that engineers are secretly dreading. 554 00:33:43,655 --> 00:33:48,226 The moment the Lunar Module must help bring them safely home. 555 00:33:48,260 --> 00:33:50,462 MISSION CONTROL: 9... 8... 7... 556 00:33:50,495 --> 00:33:52,263 NARRATOR: If the Ascent engine doesn’t work, 557 00:33:52,297 --> 00:33:54,266 they’ll be stranded on the moon. 558 00:33:54,299 --> 00:34:02,841 MISSION CONTROL: ... 6... 5. Ascent proceed. 559 00:34:02,874 --> 00:34:07,045 PAUL: They just calmly said, "Mission. Beautiful ride." 560 00:34:07,078 --> 00:34:08,413 Everything was fine. 561 00:34:08,446 --> 00:34:16,454 ASTRONAUT: Beautiful... Very smooth, very quiet ride. 562 00:34:16,488 --> 00:34:20,192 PAUL: And that was totally not adequate to express 563 00:34:20,225 --> 00:34:23,462 the engineers’ relief at that moment. 564 00:34:23,495 --> 00:34:25,964 It was really a big deal. 565 00:34:25,997 --> 00:34:30,969 ASTRONAUT: Houston, request manual start override. 566 00:34:31,002 --> 00:34:32,704 DICK: It went flawlessly. 567 00:34:32,737 --> 00:34:35,173 When Apollo 11 lifted off from the moon, 568 00:34:35,206 --> 00:34:42,613 my job was over. Pride was probably the word. 569 00:34:42,647 --> 00:34:47,018 DICK: I went outside and I looked up at the moon and I said, 570 00:34:47,052 --> 00:34:49,955 "I have just witnessed history. 571 00:34:49,988 --> 00:34:52,357 And I have been a part of history, 572 00:34:52,390 --> 00:34:55,827 and I will never look at the moon the same way again." 573 00:34:55,860 --> 00:35:02,166 And to that, to this day that is still true. 574 00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:06,638 NARRATOR: Apollo 11’s resounding success makes history. 575 00:35:06,671 --> 00:35:11,776 The Lunar Module has performed faultlessly. 576 00:35:11,810 --> 00:35:14,680 But its greatest test is yet to come, 577 00:35:14,713 --> 00:35:19,618 during the most epic drama in Apollo’s history. 578 00:35:19,651 --> 00:35:26,191 ASTRONAUT: Houston, we have a problem. 579 00:35:26,224 --> 00:35:29,027 MISSION CONTROL: Stand by, 13. We’re looking at it. 580 00:35:29,060 --> 00:35:31,763 NARRATOR: In April 1970 the Lunar Module 581 00:35:31,796 --> 00:35:35,800 is heading to the moon on Apollo 13. 582 00:35:35,834 --> 00:35:38,270 On board are astronauts Jim Lovell, 583 00:35:38,303 --> 00:35:42,741 Fred Haise and Jack Swigert. 584 00:35:42,774 --> 00:35:46,278 The goal is to explore the Lunar Highlands. 585 00:35:46,311 --> 00:35:49,080 But fifty-six hours in, Apollo 13 586 00:35:49,114 --> 00:35:51,817 suffers a crippling explosion. 587 00:35:51,850 --> 00:35:54,820 [Explosion] 588 00:35:54,853 --> 00:35:58,557 Engineers in Houston, including flight director Glynn Lunney, 589 00:35:58,590 --> 00:36:01,660 face their nightmare scenario. 590 00:36:01,693 --> 00:36:03,461 GLYNN: Somebody turned around to me and said, 591 00:36:03,495 --> 00:36:05,530 "Err, Glynn, you better get out there." 592 00:36:05,563 --> 00:36:07,565 When I get back in all the panels 593 00:36:07,599 --> 00:36:11,169 had warning lights on ’em, and a lot of them were blinking red. 594 00:36:11,202 --> 00:36:16,607 I mean, it was like somebody turned everything upside down. 595 00:36:16,641 --> 00:36:21,679 NARRATOR: The Service Module is losing power and bleeding oxygen. 596 00:36:21,713 --> 00:36:26,284 ASTRONAUTS: We are, we are venting something out into space. 597 00:36:26,317 --> 00:36:29,187 NARRATOR: There is only one option. 598 00:36:29,220 --> 00:36:30,955 To abort the lunar landing 599 00:36:30,989 --> 00:36:36,628 and try to bring the astronauts safely home. 600 00:36:36,661 --> 00:36:42,100 GERRY: We were 200,000 miles already out towards the moon, 601 00:36:42,133 --> 00:36:46,404 so we knew we had to do things that we hadn’t done before, 602 00:36:46,438 --> 00:36:48,740 or even tested before. 603 00:36:48,773 --> 00:36:52,310 We knew we had to use the LEM as a lifeboat. 604 00:36:52,343 --> 00:36:54,011 MISSION CONTROL: I figure we’ve got about 15 minutes’ worth 605 00:36:54,045 --> 00:36:55,947 of power left in the Command Module. 606 00:36:55,980 --> 00:36:58,015 NARRATOR: With the Command Module out of action, 607 00:36:58,049 --> 00:36:59,284 the astronauts retreat 608 00:36:59,317 --> 00:37:03,321 into the attached Lunar Module, Aquarius. 609 00:37:03,354 --> 00:37:05,990 MISSION CONTROL: So we want you to start getting over into 610 00:37:06,024 --> 00:37:08,660 LEM and getting some power on that. 611 00:37:08,693 --> 00:37:10,762 You ready to copy that procedure? 612 00:37:10,795 --> 00:37:12,263 ASTRONAUTS: Okay. 613 00:37:12,297 --> 00:37:14,533 NARRATOR: With its own oxygen and fuel supply, 614 00:37:14,566 --> 00:37:19,571 Aquarius is the crew’s only hope of survival. 615 00:37:19,604 --> 00:37:23,108 But whether the Lunar Module can save them all comes down 616 00:37:23,141 --> 00:37:25,343 to the engineers. 617 00:37:25,376 --> 00:37:29,313 Immediately they face a critical situation. 618 00:37:29,347 --> 00:37:32,917 DICK: We knew that the life support consumables 619 00:37:32,951 --> 00:37:36,021 aboard the Lunar Module were really only designed 620 00:37:36,054 --> 00:37:40,225 to keep 2 astronauts alive for 50 hours. 621 00:37:40,258 --> 00:37:43,528 That defined our problem for us. 622 00:37:43,561 --> 00:37:45,329 NARRATOR: Now the Lunar Module must cope 623 00:37:45,363 --> 00:37:49,067 with three astronauts for eighty hours. 624 00:37:49,100 --> 00:37:50,535 The danger? 625 00:37:50,568 --> 00:37:53,037 The Astronauts are slowly suffocating 626 00:37:53,071 --> 00:37:56,508 on their own exhaled carbon dioxide. 627 00:37:56,541 --> 00:37:58,810 GLYNN: Everybody knew immediately that we had to figure out 628 00:37:58,843 --> 00:38:01,546 something to do about the carbon dioxide, 629 00:38:01,579 --> 00:38:04,782 because we didn’t have enough carbon dioxide scrubbers, 630 00:38:04,816 --> 00:38:10,121 filters, to last us all the way back in the Lunar Module. 631 00:38:10,155 --> 00:38:13,425 NARRATOR: One solution might be to use the CO2 scrubbers from 632 00:38:13,458 --> 00:38:18,797 the Command Module to filter the air in the Lunar Module. 633 00:38:18,830 --> 00:38:22,434 But there’s a potentially deadly problem. 634 00:38:22,467 --> 00:38:26,404 DICK: The kind of failure that occurred had not been forecast. 635 00:38:26,437 --> 00:38:30,508 Their canisters were square, ours were round. 636 00:38:30,542 --> 00:38:35,247 Typical square peg/round hole problem. 637 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:38,216 NARRATOR: Only the ingenuity of the engineers on Earth 638 00:38:38,249 --> 00:38:41,152 can save the astronauts. 639 00:38:41,186 --> 00:38:43,655 GLYNN: The engineering guys came on and said, 640 00:38:43,688 --> 00:38:46,457 "Glynn, we already have a team of people working on that. 641 00:38:46,491 --> 00:38:50,128 We’ll have an answer for you in several shifts." 642 00:38:50,161 --> 00:38:52,196 NARRATOR: In just a few hours they must do 643 00:38:52,230 --> 00:38:54,566 the seemingly impossible -- 644 00:38:54,599 --> 00:38:57,735 engineer an adapter that lets the Command Module’s 645 00:38:57,769 --> 00:39:01,006 square filter operate in the Lunar Module, 646 00:39:01,039 --> 00:39:04,743 replacing the spent cylindrical one. 647 00:39:04,776 --> 00:39:06,511 But they can only use equipment 648 00:39:06,544 --> 00:39:10,248 that’s available to the astronauts. 649 00:39:10,281 --> 00:39:15,119 It is a huge challenge to improvise a low-tech solution 650 00:39:15,153 --> 00:39:20,358 and save the astronauts from asphyxiation. 651 00:39:20,391 --> 00:39:25,963 NARRATOR: The engineers’ design is ingenious. 652 00:39:25,997 --> 00:39:31,503 They use cardboard from reference manuals... 653 00:39:31,536 --> 00:39:35,073 plastic cut from a garment stowage bag... 654 00:39:35,106 --> 00:39:37,742 a spacesuit air hose... 655 00:39:37,775 --> 00:39:40,044 duct tape... 656 00:39:40,078 --> 00:39:41,780 and a sock. 657 00:39:41,813 --> 00:39:50,021 DICK: I said, "Hey, this is gonna work. This is gonna work." 658 00:39:50,054 --> 00:39:51,822 NARRATOR: Swigert, Lovell and Haise 659 00:39:51,856 --> 00:39:54,258 assemble an identical version in space, 660 00:39:54,292 --> 00:39:57,896 with just hours to spare. 661 00:39:57,929 --> 00:39:59,397 MARTY: And all of a sudden they see the level 662 00:39:59,430 --> 00:40:02,233 start to come down. I said, "Wow!" 663 00:40:02,267 --> 00:40:05,070 NARRATOR: The adapter is a triumph. 664 00:40:05,103 --> 00:40:09,474 GLYNN: Very good. We felt exhilarated. 665 00:40:09,507 --> 00:40:11,743 We all loved the Lunar Module. 666 00:40:11,776 --> 00:40:12,944 NARRATOR: Two days later, 667 00:40:12,977 --> 00:40:15,446 when the astronauts splash down in the ocean, 668 00:40:15,480 --> 00:40:17,482 the engineers are elated. 669 00:40:17,515 --> 00:40:23,388 [Cheering and applause] 670 00:40:23,421 --> 00:40:26,958 GERARD: Thank God three guys did not lose their life. 671 00:40:26,991 --> 00:40:32,196 It was nip and tuck all the way, but it worked. 672 00:40:32,230 --> 00:40:34,165 MARTY: I don’t think I had a drink. 673 00:40:34,198 --> 00:40:37,835 I could have used one though. 674 00:40:37,869 --> 00:40:39,971 NARRATOR: The Lunar Module hasn’t only performed 675 00:40:40,004 --> 00:40:42,406 far beyond its design limits. 676 00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:47,412 It has rescued the crew of Apollo 13 from certain death. 677 00:40:47,445 --> 00:40:52,951 ♪ ♪ 678 00:40:52,984 --> 00:41:00,692 In all, six Lunar Modules land twelve men on the moon. 679 00:41:00,725 --> 00:41:05,863 The last three each transport a Lunar Rover, 680 00:41:05,897 --> 00:41:09,200 allowing the astronauts to travel over 56 miles 681 00:41:09,233 --> 00:41:13,971 of the lunar surface. 682 00:41:14,005 --> 00:41:16,674 In total they spend over 72 hours 683 00:41:16,708 --> 00:41:21,279 exploring this alien world. 684 00:41:21,312 --> 00:41:25,449 In 1972, Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan 685 00:41:25,483 --> 00:41:29,854 are the last two astronauts on the moon. 686 00:41:29,887 --> 00:41:35,092 EUGENE: May the spirit of peace in which we came 687 00:41:35,126 --> 00:41:41,299 be reflected in the lives of all mankind. 688 00:41:41,332 --> 00:41:52,310 ♪ ♪ 689 00:41:52,343 --> 00:41:58,716 NARRATOR: Humans haven’t returned since then. 690 00:41:58,750 --> 00:42:05,991 But now scientists have the moon in their sights once again. 691 00:42:06,024 --> 00:42:10,595 In 2009, NASA launches an unmanned satellite 692 00:42:10,628 --> 00:42:15,700 called Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. 693 00:42:15,733 --> 00:42:18,569 Carrying a high-resolution camera, LRO 694 00:42:18,603 --> 00:42:22,540 is revealing the moon in unprecedented detail. 695 00:42:22,573 --> 00:42:25,276 Exploiting resources at the lunar poles 696 00:42:25,309 --> 00:42:30,648 may offer challenges for future generations of engineers, 697 00:42:30,681 --> 00:42:34,618 as lunar scientist Paul Spudis believes. 698 00:42:34,652 --> 00:42:36,954 PAUL: One of the interesting things we found about the poles 699 00:42:36,988 --> 00:42:38,957 is it’s sort of a unique environment. 700 00:42:38,990 --> 00:42:42,594 It has areas that are lit more than half the lunar day. 701 00:42:42,627 --> 00:42:45,096 You can generate electrical power in order to create 702 00:42:45,129 --> 00:42:49,166 sustainable human presence on the moon. 703 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:52,270 NARRATOR: Engineering giant solar panels would provide 704 00:42:52,303 --> 00:42:55,907 the power needed to build lunar bases. 705 00:42:55,940 --> 00:42:59,110 And mining water frozen in lunar rock 706 00:42:59,143 --> 00:43:02,079 could provide the hydrogen and oxygen fuels 707 00:43:02,113 --> 00:43:05,183 to propel future rockets, 708 00:43:05,216 --> 00:43:10,354 turning the moon into our first off-planet refueling station. 709 00:43:10,388 --> 00:43:11,890 PAUL: So we’re going the next step. 710 00:43:11,923 --> 00:43:15,360 We’re going to sort of the exploration stage. 711 00:43:15,393 --> 00:43:20,598 Think of it as an early mining town. 712 00:43:20,631 --> 00:43:22,433 NARRATOR: While it’s been mapping the moon, 713 00:43:22,467 --> 00:43:25,370 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is also revealing 714 00:43:25,403 --> 00:43:29,874 remnants of Apollo’s legacy... 715 00:43:29,907 --> 00:43:35,746 ... lying silently on the moon’s surface. 716 00:43:35,780 --> 00:43:39,617 GERARD: I have six engines sitting on the moon. 717 00:43:39,650 --> 00:43:43,120 I wish I could see them, but I know they’re all up there. 718 00:43:43,154 --> 00:43:46,658 They’ll be there for a million years. 719 00:43:46,691 --> 00:43:49,460 NARRATOR: These are the indelible reminders of a generation 720 00:43:49,494 --> 00:43:55,800 of engineers who dared to explore another world -- 721 00:43:55,833 --> 00:43:57,601 and succeeded. 722 00:43:57,635 --> 00:43:59,137 ♪ ♪