The 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s first manned lunar landing, July 20, orbits a galaxy of starry stats, some of them off of the crater’s beaten path. For instance, did you know Neil Armstrong’s weight was that of a 9-year-old when he stepped on the moon? Here, we break down the moment in history by the numbers.
160
Heartbeats per minute of Armstrong—NASA’s coolest commander—during lunar module Eagle’s final descent
1 Million
Onlookers when Apollo 11 launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida July 16, 1969
$25.44 Billion
Approximate cost of the Apollo project
Three
Number of courses of humans’ first meal on the moon: ham-salad sandwich, rehydratable beverage and fortified fruit strips
530 Million
Global TV audience for Armstrong’s first step on the moon—TV’s largest ever at the time
$33
Amount civilian astronaut Armstrong earned during his moonwalk
135 Minutes
Time spent walking on the moon
3:17 PM
Time in Houston when the Eagle landed (Astronauts were on Houston time the entire flight.)
363 Feet
Height of the Saturn V spacecraft, equal to a 36-story building
60 Lbs
Weight of Armstrong in his spacesuit on the moon, whose gravity is one-sixth that of Earth
Photography by: NASA