Apollo 11 Was A Resounding Success. But Plenty Could Have Gone Wrong

Fifty years ago this month, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history by becoming the first humans to walk on the moon. It was such a triumph that it's easy to forget just how difficult and dangerous the Apollo 11 mission really was. For NASA, that reminder came in 1967, when Apollo 1 burned up on the launchpad, killing its three crew members. That problem was fixed, but there was plenty more that could've gone wrong. Liz Tung (@lizxtung) of WHYY's "The Pulse" spoke with space reporter Andrew Chaikin and has the story.

This story was part of a special episode of "The Pulse" called "Destination Moon," celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11.