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About This Quiz
The moon landing is among the most celebrated events in American history; it was the thrilling end to a Cold War-era space race and a testament to grit, endurance and the desire to find out what was in the furthest reaches of our galaxy. The three astronauts aboard Apollo 11 were heralded as heroes when they returned home, but it took incredible guts to get them up there in the first place. Back in the 1960s, the moon was truly an unknown entity and nobody knew what they'd find on her potentially hostile terrain or possibly poisonous atmosphere!
The space race defined the latter part of the twentieth century and ushered in a new era of bright-eyed kids dreaming of being the next one selected by NASA to venture up to the stars and explore worlds beyond our own. Everybody knows all of the major events of that fateful day, but how well do you really know the space mission that put the United States on the map as an intergalactic superpower? It's time to prove that your moon landing knowledge is more than just surface-deep with this quiz that 99 percent of people are guaranteed to fail. Will you prevail?Â
"The eagle has landed."
Neil Armstrong assured the command office in Houston that they had arrived on the surface of the moon safely by assuring them that the "eagle has landed." The eagle, of course, was code for the craft.
"We made it."
"Houston, we have a problem."
"It's a giant leap for mankind."
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John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was the optimistic United States president that pushed the Americans on in the space race. Tragically, he was gunned down on November 22, 1963, which meant he never saw Apollo 11 land on the moon.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Franklin Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
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True
False
The astronauts aboard Apollo 11 were quarantined for nearly a month after they returned from their moon mission. It totally makes sense, as they could have contracted anything from their space adventure!
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JoAnn Morgan
Katherine Johnson
Margaret Hamilton
Margaret Hamilton broke the ultimate glass ceiling in a time when women had very few options in engineering, let alone space travel. She and her team were instrumental in getting Apollo 11 space-borne.
Mary Jackson
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The Apollo 1 astronauts had mentored them right before the launch.
Apollo 1 was the code-name of Apollo 11.
The crew of Apollo 1 did the same for them when they landed on Mars.
The astronauts of Apollo 1 died in a tragic fire.
The Apollo 1 fire is one of the most devastating accidents of the space age. Three moon-bound astronauts were killed when a faulty wire turned their capsule into a deathtrap.
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John Glenn
Michael Collins
Michael Collins had the less-glamorous job of piloting Apollo 11 around the moon while Buzz and Neil wandered the surface collecting moon rocks. He was terrified that he'd have to leave them there.
Alan Shepard
Gus Grissom
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True
False
The lunar module was originally supposed to land in a boulder-filled crater, but Neil Armstrong intelligently moved their landing spot to somewhere flatter and arguably much safer.
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Shut the door
The lunar module did not have a latch on the outside, so if either Buzz or Neil would have shut the door all the way, they would have been locked out and unable to return to Earth.
Walk too far away from the module
Turn off the inside oxygen to save it for later
Leave their keys with Michael Collins
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True
Buzz Aldrin's mother's maiden name was Marion Moon, a fact that he kept from NASA when applying to be an astronaut. He later said that he didn't want it to unfairly influence them to take him.
False
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Valentina Tereshkova
Alexei Leonov
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space, scoring a major win for the Russians whose cosmonauts were constantly racing with American astronauts for victories far from the surface of the Earth.
Vladimir Komarov
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600 million
The moon landing drew a huge crowd of viewers from around the world, making it one of the most important televised events of all time. 600 million people tuned in to watch history be made.
70 million
100 million
2 billion
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Yes
No
Although planting the flag was an amazing moment in the space race, the American flag on the moon toppled over almost immediately when the lunar module took off with Buzz and Neil.
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"That's one step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
"That's one small step for man and also one giant leap for mankind."
"That's one small step for me, one giant leap for mankind."
"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
Neil Armstrong has long claimed that he was misquoted while stepping off the lunar module. We suppose he would know! Apparently, his famous words referred to "a man" as opposed to "man."
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True
Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong almost didn't make it off the surface of the moon and into the history books, but thanks to some quick thinking by Buzz, who used a felt-tip pen as a makeshift switch, they were able to come home.
False
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Part of the Liberty Bell
The original Bill of Rights
A piece of the original Wright brothers aircraft
The Wright brothers first took Americans successfully to the skies with their prototype aircraft. It was only fitting that pieces of their original machine were aboard the Apollo 11.
George Washington's wooden teeth
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True
False
Although the computer that launched Apollo 11 was cutting edge at the time, it would be eclipsed by even the most rudimentary smartphone today. That's right; you have more tech at your fingertips than NASA had in 1969.
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Left them a lot of government bonds
Signed thousands of "life insurance autographs"
The crew of Apollo 11 signed thousands of "life insurance autographs" for their families to sell in case they didn't return from their mission to the moon. Today, these autographs are worth a mint.
NASA grants to cover the costs
Access to a "deceased astronaut fund"
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Mare Tranquillitatis
Mare Tranquillitatis is the Latin name for what we know as the Sea of Tranquility and considered to be the official name for the spot where the lunar module of Apollo 11 landed on the moon.
Ocean of Calm
Tranquil Pad
The Lunar Sea
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Neil Armstrong's birthday
The retirement of Apollo 11
The first anniversary of our Mars landing
The 50th anniversary of the moon landing
On July 20, 2019, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. There were parties all throughout the country, rebroadcasts of the original moon landing footage and Tang toasts.
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A Hershey bar
An apple
Astronaut ice cream
A communion wafer
Buzz Aldrin famously ingested a small communion wafer on the moon, making it the first food to be consumed there. He also allegedly washed down the wafer with a sip of communion wine.
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Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II's moon message included a congratulations on behalf of the British people, as well as an acknowledgment that traveling to the moon was the achievement of the age.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Emperor Naruhito
King Salman
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True
Buzz Aldrin is not one to shy away from conflict as his scuffle with moon-landing denier Bart Sibrel proved. Sibrel wanted Buzz to swear on the Bible that he landed on the moon and called him a coward. Buzz slugged him.
False
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20 million years old
600 billion years old
3.7 billion years old
Part of Buzz and Neil's moon mission included picking up some space rocks for analysis back on Earth. The rocks that they found were a remarkable 3.7 billion years old. So incredible!
5.9 million years old
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True
Neil Armstrong might have been the first person to step foot on the moon, but Buzz Aldrin was the first person to pee on the moon. He reportedly peed his spacesuit after remarking how "lonely" the moon was.
False
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$25.4 billion
Apollo 11's mission cost $25.4 billion, which was a heavy price tag for the time and way over the projected budget. Adjusted for inflation, the mission would cost $140 billion today.
$78.2 billion
$1000 million
$800.3 billion
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That he wouldn't eat any space rocks
That he wouldn't step on the moon if it looked dangerous
Like many people at the time, Neil Armstrong's grandmother was very incredulous about what the surface of the moon was like. She made Neil not to step on it if it seemed dangerous. He agreed.
That he wouldn't let Buzz step on the moon first
That he would always wear his space seatbelt
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No, it doesn't smell at all.
Yes, it smells like wet ashes and gunpowder.
Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong both reported that the moon had a very strong scent, but they disagreed on what it was. Buzz said that it was wet ashes; Neil said that it was gunpowder.
Yes, it smells like cheese.
No, nothing in space smells.
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Gortex
Calvin Klein
Playtex
International Latex Corporation, the parent company of Playtex won the contract to make spacesuits for the astronauts aboard Apollo 11. They were chosen because they were experts in fit.
Rubbermaid
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True
False
Planting the American flag on the surface of the moon was very difficult because it's not soft. The moon is made of very dense, hard rock and a thick crust, so it was no easy feat!
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A speech to comfort the country
Richard Nixon had two speeches prepared for the moon landing. One, which he delivered, was for if the landing was a success. The other, labeled "In the Event of Moon Disaster," was for it it was not.
A capsule full of the astronaut's belongings
A new team of astronauts ready to go
A fund for the widows of the astronauts
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A timesheet
A TPS report
An expense report
Buzz Aldrin famously opted to fill out an expense report to justify his travel to and from the launch site. He was paid $33.31, which would be roughly about $200, adjusted for inflation.
A quarterly review
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So scientists could shoot a laser at it and measure how far away it was
The astronauts left a mirror on the moon so that scientists could shoot lasers at it and measure how far away it was. The project never really took off and was eventually abandoned.
To refect messages to their families back to Earth
So the aliens could look at themselves in the mirror
So that they could see the surface easier
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True
The astronauts on Apollo 11 actually had to fill out customs forms when they landed back on Earth, and they had to claim the moon rocks that they collected. No word on if they were charged a customs fee.
False
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An hour
Three hours
Over 21 hours
Twelve hours and thirty-two minutes
Buzz and Neil spent nearly a day on the surface of the moon. They were there for an incredible twenty-one hours and thirty-six minutes conducting experiments and collecting samples.
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Yes, they floated in a padded area of the craft.
No, they slept in bags that were secured in place with restraints.
The astronauts of Apollo 11 slept in sleeping bags that were secured down with restraints so they wouldn't float around. Their sleeping area was only slightly bigger than a large car.
No, they slept in metal pods shaped to their bodies.
Yes, they floated throughout the ship while they slept.
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