Tranquility Base (IMAGE)

Arizona State University

Tranquility Base

Caption

The approach to the site of the first manned lunar landing, Tranquility Base, gave the Apollo 11 astronauts anxious moments during the descent. The autopilot was going to set the Eagle lunar lander down amid the boulders on the flanks of West Crater, the largest crater in the image. Commander Neil Armstrong took over and flew the Eagle manually to a safer spot, seen here on the left side of the image. The lander's descent stage remains where it touched down. This image was taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbit Camera in June 2010, almost 41 years after the landing.

Credit

NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

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