Apollo 11: preliminary science report

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Our first journey to the Moon ushered in a new era in which man will no longer be confined to his home planet. The concept of traveling across the vastness of space to new worlds has stirred the imagination of men everywhere. One-sixth of the Earth’s population watched as the Apollo 11 astronauts walked and worked a quarter of a million miles away. The success of this mission has opened new fields of exploration and research – research which will lead to a greater understanding of our planet and provide a new insight into the origin and history of the solar system. The Apollo 11 mission was only a beginning, however. Subsequent missions will reflect more ambitious scientific objectives and will include more comprehensive observations and measurements at a variety of lunar sites. This document is a preliminary report of the initial scientific observations resulting from the Apollo 11 mission. We expect that further significant results will come from more detailed analysis of the returned samples of lunar material, and from additional study of the photographs and data obtained from the emplaced experiments. Beyond that, we look forward to increasing international participation in the exploration of the Moon and neighboring regions of our solar system.