For those who missed it the first time around, you can now watch the Apollo 11 moon landing livestream in real-time online. A handful of networks, including the UK's Channel 4 and CBS, are showing livestreams of the original Apollo 11 moon landing broadcast, allowing the archival footage to play continuously to mirror the constant coverage of the spaceflight the first time around.
On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 spaceflight began, taking five days to complete before the crew of three returned back to Earth on July 21 and ultimately reaching home on July 24. It was the first time a mission of this magnitude had been successful, turning the dream of going to space into a reality. The Apollo 11 team was three men: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Films like Damien Chazelle's First Man have focused on the kinds of rigorous training and preparations these three men made in anticipation of their flight. Many launches had been made before Apollo 11, so when they finally got it right it was a significant achievement.
To mark the moon landing's 50th anniversary, the archival footage of the Apollo 11 spaceflight is being shown in its entirety online, and in real-time. The most reliable livestream can be seen via Channel 4. The video is included below so you can dive right in. Another channel, VideoFromSpace, is also sharing a livestream of the spaceflight and it includes space photography alongside the broadcast for additional reference. Finally, to see how the broadcast of the Apollo 11 spaceflight kicked off, CBS has posted its four-hour 1969 broadcast anchored by the late Walter Cronkite. Cronkite's broadcast covers the nature of the mission, special interviews, and commentary about just how special the moon landing was at the time.
The Apollo 11 moon landing livestream is fascinating to watch, even if you only have a few minutes. Being able to hear real conversations between the control room in Houston, Texas, and the Apollo 11 team as they made their journey is certainly interesting. What makes it all the more captivating is when the Apollo 11 astronauts get their own live feed up from inside their capsule. Their feed allows viewers a look inside at their cramped quarters filled with control panels and a tiny window to look out of and see Earth down below.
The Apollo 11 spaceflight has been the subject of and inspiration to various films, television series, and documentaries. While the spaceflight continues to be influential in our culture, getting to experience this anniversary livestream event as previous generations experienced it is something very special indeed. Make sure to check it out while you can during this once-in-a-lifetime 50th anniversary time frame.