<P> When the Eisenhower dollar coin was released in 1971, the patch design provided the eagle for its reverse side . The design was also used for the smaller Susan B. Anthony dollar unveiled in 1979, ten years after the Apollo 11 mission . </P> <P> Neil Armstrong's personal preference kit carried a piece of wood from the Wright brothers' 1903 airplane's left propeller and a piece of fabric from its wing, along with a diamond - studded astronaut pin originally given to Deke Slayton by the widows of the Apollo 1 crew . This pin had been intended to be flown on Apollo 1 and given to Slayton after the mission but following the disastrous launch pad fire and subsequent funerals, the widows gave the pin to Slayton and Armstrong took it on Apollo 11 . </P> <P> In addition to many people crowding highways and beaches near the launch site, millions watched the event on television, with NASA Chief of Public Information Jack King providing commentary . President Richard M. Nixon viewed the proceedings from the Oval Office of the White House . </P> <P> A Saturn V launched Apollo 11 from Launch Pad 39A, part of the Launch Complex 39 site at the Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969, at 13: 32: 00 UTC (9: 32: 00 a.m. EDT local time). It entered Earth orbit, at an altitude of 100.4 nautical miles (185.9 km) by 98.9 nautical miles (183.2 km), twelve minutes later . After one and a half orbits, the S - IVB third - stage engine pushed the spacecraft onto its trajectory toward the Moon with the trans - lunar injection (TLI) burn at 16: 22: 13 UTC . About 30 minutes later, the transposition, docking, and extraction maneuver was performed: this involved separating the Apollo Command / Service Module (CSM) from the spent rocket stage, turning around, and docking with the Lunar Module still attached to the stage . After the Lunar Module was extracted, the combined spacecraft headed for the Moon, while the rocket stage flew on a trajectory past the Moon and into orbit around the Sun . </P>

Who was president when apollo 11 landed on the moon