AIP Honors Apollo 11

Fifty years ago, the world watched as Apollo 11 lifted off from Earth, made the journey to the moon, landed and set foot where no human had ever been before, and returned home safely. As that historic flight is celebrated during its Golden Anniversary, many are reflecting on the history of manned space flight prior to Apollo 11 as well as a rediscovery of all the advancements made since men walked on the moon.

The American Institute of Physics honors Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins, the crew of Apollo 11, and all those who made that momentous journey possible. Two original stories explore the tragic beginnings and lessons learned in the early Apollo program and the products and devices that are found in recent times that originated from the breakthroughs in technology for lunar space flight.

In addition, Inside Science and Physics Today have extensive features on different aspects of the Apollo 11 mission, what it means to send astronauts into space, and how mankind’s future among the stars might play out. From the inner workings and sounds from Mission Control in 1969 to how the space program was and still is represented in pop culture, the two magazines delve deep into the science world to present topical stories for the Apollo 11 celebration.

A listing of stories from AIP, Inside Science and Physics Today:

Trial by Fire: The Legacy of Apollo 1
The unforgettable and catastrophic results of the Apollo 1 fire led to increased safety measures, and recommendations were developed to ensure the safety of future spacefaring humans. Giant Leaps in Innovation: A Retrospective on Apollo-Driven Technologies
NASA calls these technologies “spinoffs” -- commercial products and services that have emerged from NASA missions and research. One Giant Leap for Mankind: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11
Inside Science’s coverage of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. What Makes a Modern ‘Moonshot’ Successful?
A different set of ingredients may be needed to take the next giant leap for humankind. Thousands of Hours of Newly Released Audio Tell the Backstage Story of Apollo 11 Moon Mission
A team of engineers spent years giving new life to old NASA tapes. The US space program in pop culture
The 50th anniversary of the first crewed Moon landing is a perfect excuse to revisit books, movies, and TV shows about exploring our solar system. The scientific legacy of the Apollo program
The six Apollo landings laid the foundation for modern planetary science. Quo vadis, NASA: The Moon, Mars, or both?
The US spaceflight program is juggling political and technological factors as it moves toward the red planet, its ultimate destination. AIP Member Societies cover a broad range of fields in the physical sciences and collectively represent more than 120,000 scientists, engineers, educators and students in the global physical sciences community, including those in the areas of astronomy, medicine, acoustics and more. Experts from these societies are ready and available to assist in crafting stories as part of the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary.

The Niels Bohr Library & Archives is a repository and clearinghouse for information in the history of physics, astronomy, geophysics and allied fields. In-house holdings include an outstanding collection of textbooks, monographs and related publications; over 30,000 photographs and other images; over 1,500 oral histories with many of the outstanding figures and searchable online.