This picture was taken by a tracking camera mounted on an Air Force EC-135 aircraft flying at about 40,000 feet altitude in the early moments of the Apollo 11 launch. The 7.6 million-pound thrust Saturn V (S-1C) first stage boosts the space vehicle to an altitude of 36.3 nautical miles at 50.6 nautical miles downrange in 2 minutes 40.8 seconds. The S-1C stage separates at 2 minutes 41.6 seconds after liftoff. The crew of the Apollo 11, NASA's first lunar landing mission, are astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. The Apollo 11 launch was at 9:32 a.m. (EDT), July 16, 1969. Credit: NASA #nasa #nasahistory #apollo11 #saturnv #liftoff #launch #satellite #nationalmoonday #kennedyspacecenter #spacecoast #space #exploration #explore