NASM--Apollo to the Moon--At the Moon

AT THE MOON

After three days of travel through space, the astronauts and the three Apollo spacecraft-command module Columbia, the Service Module, and the Lunar Module Eagle- entered orbit around the Moon on July 19. During the flight to the Moon astronaut Michael Collins had repositioned the Lunar Module so that Columbia and Eagle were joined at their respective hatches. Over the next day the astronauts readied the Lunar Module and themselves for the descent to the Moon. On July 20, the first human exploration of another world was about to begin.

THE APOLLO SPACECRAFT
Two vehicles were used during a lunar landing mission. Each had two parts.

COMMAND AND SERVICE MODULE
The astronauts lived in the Command Module en route to lunar orbit and back to Earth. The Service Module contained oxygen, water, and electric power for the command module. The Service Module also housed the service propulsion system-the rocket engine that put the spacecraft into lunar orbit and later boosted it back toward Earth. This module was jettisoned just before reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.

The Apollo Spacecraft: Lunar Module