Flown Apollo 11 flight plan sheet

FLOWN Apollo 11 Flight Plan, pp 3-119/3-119a, a single sheet printed recto and verso. NASA/JSC, July 1, 1969. 8 x 10 ½ inches. Detailed flight annotations by Neil Armstrong in blue ink and by Buzz Aldrin with a black marker. Includes a Typed Letter Signed by BUZZ ALDRIN.

At this point in the mission, the Apollo 11 crew was beginning their last full day in space prior to their planned return to Earth with a splashdown the next day. Neil Armstrong verified completion of tasks listed on page 3-119 with twelve separate check marks. He also logs five other entries being two event times and the hours of sleep for each crew member. Buzz Aldrin makes eight numeric update entries related to consumables in the notes section column. Plans to prepare for MCC 6 (Mid Course Correction, a Service Propulsion System rocket engine burn) were cancelled due to the precise trajectory they maintained after leaving the Moon, giving the crew a bit more time to enjoy their breakfast of reconstituted (just add water) food packs.

Accompanied by BUZZ ALDRIN’S signed provenance letter on his personal stationery which reads: “Enclosed with this letter is a sheet numbered 3-119 and 3-119a from the Apollo 11 Flight Plan, Part No. SKB32100080-350, S/N 1001. It is part of the entire document that was carried to the Moon in Command Module Columbia on the first lunar landing mission during July 16 to 24, 1969. This sheet is from the detailed timeline section and covers from hour 169 to the beginning of hour 171 in the mission.

Page 3-119 lists the last hour of a rest period. In the notes column on the right side, Neil Armstrong recorded the length of sleep in hours for each crew member. These notes read: “CDR - 8.5, CMP - 7, LMP - 8.” Neil communicated this information to Mission Control after our wake-up call. He also checked off eight steps of the Post Sleep Checklist and lined-out the Auto RCS Jet step. Neil made the other entries of “171:35,” and “171:40 -> 45%,” then made four additional check marks. I completed the Consumable Update data box entries with: “170:00, -3.5%, -14.5, +7, -4.5, -3” which was the mission time and the total percent change in our Service Module Reaction Control System with the other 4 numbers actual use from the A, B, C, and D rocket engine groups. My last entries of: “-1#, +24” were the hydrogen and oxygen quantity changes in pounds up to that time.

Page 3-119a has burn chart associated with the MCC6 (Mid Course Correction) burn number 6. This grid includes pitch and yaw rates, attitude deviation, engine shutdown time, and residuals. Our entry trajectory was so precise that plans for the MCC6 burn were not carried out. This gave us a longer period to enjoy our breakfast.

The flight plan was probably the single most important document related to the success of our mission. It provided a time schedule of crew activities and spacecraft maneuvers to accomplish the first lunar landing.

This page has been in my private collection since 1969. I have written on side 3-119: “Flown the Moon” and signed that page. I have also signed side 3-119a with: “Carried to the Moon on Apollo XI” and signed that page below the burn chart. Additionally, a copy of the flight plan cover is enclosed.”

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