Lunar Module Eagle

The name of the craft gave rise to the phrase "The Eagle has landed", the words Armstrong said upon Eagle's touchdown.

Flight

Eagle was launched with Command Module Columbia on July 16, 1969, atop a Saturn V launch vehicle from Launch Complex 39A, and entered Earth orbit 12 minutes later. Eagle entered lunar orbit on July 19, 1969. On July 20, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin entered into the LM and separated it from Command Module Columbia. Eagle was landed at Tranquility Base at 20:17:40 UTC on July 20, 1969, with 216 pounds (98 kg) of usable fuel remaining. After the lunar surface operations, Armstrong and Aldrin returned to the Lunar Module Eagle on July 21, 1969. At 17:54:00 UTC, they lifted off in Eagle's ascent stage to rejoin Michael Collins aboard Columbia in lunar orbit.

After the crew re-boarded Columbia, the Eagle ascent stage was abandoned in lunar orbit. The location of its impact on the Moon's surface during an orbit decay is unknown. Studies of Eagle's estimated orbital trajectory have suggested that the spacecraft may still be in orbit as of 2021.