Map of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing

How Far Did Armstrong Moon Walk? Mapping the Lunar Landing

On July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon.  Six hours later on July 21, Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module Eagle and became the first human to walk on the moon.  Aldrin joined him on the surface, but the two astronauts did not walk far during the span of more than two hours.

This map (click to enlarge) shows the paths Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the surface of the Moon in comparison to the size of a baseball diamond.  The map was created by historian Eric Jones and is featured in the book Strange Maps: An Atlas of Cartographic Curiosities by Frank Jacobs.  The book is available from the Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC).

“LM” on the map marks the location of the lunar module.  Armstrong placed a television camera to the left of the module (between third base and home plate).  And the yellow circles mark the location of surface cameras.  The larger circles on the map identify craters of various depths.

For more information about using unique cartographic resources for education and learning, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.