Neil Armstrong returned to Earth after the Apollo 11 mission by following a carefully planned sequence involving the lunar module and the command module:
- After landing on the Moon in the lunar module Eagle and completing their moonwalk, Armstrong and Aldrin used Eagle 's ascent stage to lift off from the lunar surface and rendezvous with Michael Collins in the command module Columbia orbiting the Moon
- They docked Eagle with Columbia , transferred back into the command module, and then jettisoned the lunar module ascent stage into lunar orbit
- The command module then performed maneuvers to leave lunar orbit and set a trajectory back to Earth
- Upon approaching Earth, the command module re-entered the atmosphere at a precise angle to manage heat and aerodynamic forces, using its design to generate a small amount of lift for controlled descent
- The command module splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969, about 1.94 miles from the intended recovery ship, the USS Hornet
- Navy SEAL divers and recovery teams quickly assisted the astronauts out of the capsule and onto the recovery ship, where they entered quarantine as a precaution against lunar contamination
This process ensured Neil Armstrong and his fellow astronauts returned safely from the Moon to Earth after their historic mission
