A Problem with the Apollo 11 Guidance Computer Nearly Prevents the First Moon Walk

On July 16, 1969 the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, comprising the Command Module, Service Module ("Columbia") and Lunar Module ("Eagle") was launched on the Saturn V SA-506 super heavy-lift launch vehicle from Kennedy Space Center Launch Center Complex-39A  in Merritt Island, Florida.

Five days later, on July 21, 1969 Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, lunar module pilot, became the first human beings to walk on the moon.

The moon landing was almost canceled in the final seconds because of an overload of the Apollo Guidance Computer’s memory, but on advice from Earth, Armstrong and Aldren ignored the warnings and landed safely. The Apollo Guidance Computer was the first recognizably modern embedded system used in real-time by astronaut pilots.