Space: Did You Know That #14

[Robert Bruce]

Did You Know:

Lunar Module pilot Neil Armstrong nearly ran out of fuel while trying to locate a boulder free area to land the Eagle on the moon at the Sea of Tranquility. Many at mission control worried he might run out of fuel and crash. But the mission reports reveal the LM landed with more fuel than the myths gave crdit for.

The Eagle had a better safety margin than popular myth at the time would have us know. There were guesses of between 7-20 seconds of fuel left in the tank. In fact the Eagle had a more confortable 45-50 seconds worth of propellant left.

Apollo engineer Milton Silveira at mission control, however, was relieved: His tests had shown that there was a small chance the exhaust from the LM's engine could shoot back into the rocket as it landed and ignite the remaining propellant.