Mathematics and the Apollo 11 Flight to the Moon

On a summer day in 1969, America launched a new adventure in space. Apollo 11 blasted off into orbit around Earth at 17,433 mph at an altitude of 209 miles. From this orbit, engines were fired to increase velocity into an orbit that took three days to reach the Moon. Then Neal Armstrong guided Eagle to a landing on the Moon. Man stepped on the surface of the Moon for the first time.

The flight plan to the Moon was made of mathematical equations, computer programs, and specifications for rocket engine firings, escape velocities, and orbits. The flight plan was a road map indicating a correct speed, acceleration, orientation, direction, and position in space for every moment on the way to the Moon and back to Earth. With these mathematical calculations, the probability of failure was very small.