On July 22, 1969 the engines of the Columbia were fired to begin the trip back to Earth, the Columbia leaving lunar orbit with a speed of 3600 miles per hour. About 15 hours later a mid course correction was made to keep the Columbia on track back to Earth.
July 22, 1969: Heading Home
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
It is impossible to fake it.
It’s nothing short of miraculous that they managed to accomplish this. I don’t know if you’ve seen the original capsules that were used to go into space. I remember being struck when I went to the National Air and Space Museum 30 or 40 years ago. It looked to me like it had all been put together with scotch tape and spit.