Fifty years ago, NASA’s Apollo 11 mission changed the world and the idea of what is possible.
Twenty years ago, Google did the same.
Now, the two mega organizations have teamed up to celebrate innovation, exploration, and history in one animated Doodle.
The four-and-a-half-minute video (presented in portrait for easy smartphone viewing) takes you on a journey to the Moon and back, narrated by former astronaut and Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins.
“After a big breakfast, our rocket lifted off in the morning of July 16, 1969,” he said. “Neil, Buzz, and I felt the weight of the world on our shoulders.”
Collins was just one of some 400,000 people who contributed to Project Apollo—most of them factory workers, scientists, and engineers who never left Earth.
Like Margaret Hamilton, who led the team that developed the onboard flight software for all of NASA’s manned Apollo missions.
Google this week set out to shine a light on Hamilton’s influence, and on the field of software engineering, by positioning more than 107,000 mirrors at the Ivanpah Solar Facility in the Mojave Desert to reflect the light of the Moon.
The result is a 1.4-square-mile portrait of Hamilton—bigger than New York City’s Central Park.
“We thought our on-board computer was very sophisticated,” according to Collins. “But in fact it had less computing power than what we all carry around in our pockets today.”
Apollo 11 Google Doodle concept art from lead artist Pedro Vergani (via Google)
Along the way to the Moon’s surface, Armstrong and Aldrin lost radio contact with Earth, that sophisticated computer showed unfamiliar error codes, and fuel ran short.
As millions watched on television, the team successfully steered their module to a safe landing in the “Sea of Tranquility” on July 20, 1969. Not long after, Armstrong became the first human to step foot on Earth’s satellite.
Collins, meanwhile, spent his day flying solo around the Moon.
“Behind the Moon, I was by myself. All alone, but not lonesome,” he said. “If you counted, there were 3 billion—plus two—people on one side, and me on the other. I felt very comfortable back there. I even had hot coffee.”
The 17th American in space, Collins is one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon, which he orbited 30 times.
“The first time we saw the Moon up close, it was a magnificent spectacle. It was huge,” he reminisced. “The sun was coming around it, cascading and making a golden halo that filled our entire window.
“As impressive as the view was of this alien Moon seen up close, it was nothing compared to the site of the tiny Earth,” he added. “The Earth was the main show. The Earth was it.”
The trio returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. They were followed by 10 more Apollo astronauts, with the final mission taking place in 1972.
Their legacy, however, continues, with milestones like the International Space Station and plans for a mission to Mars. NASA’s Artemis program—named for Apollo’s sister in Greek mythology—aims to bring the first woman to the Moon.
More on Geek.com:
- Batter Up! Google’s July 4th Doodle is BBQ-Themed Baseball Game
- Check Out These Cool Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Sneakers From Nike, Puma
- Watch: Video Simulates Neil Armstrong’s Cool Apollo 11 Landing View
