What bird is shown on Apollo 11's mission insignia?

What bird is shown on Apollo 11’s mission insignia? A bald eagle is shown.

Apollo 11’s mission insignia features a bald eagle flying toward the Moon, with Earth visible in the background. The bird was chosen because it is the national bird of the United States and offered a clear symbol of American participation in the first crewed lunar landing.

Michael Collins helped develop the emblem’s concept, and astronaut Jim Lovell suggested using the bald eagle. The design was intended to represent a peaceful lunar mission rather than a military conquest. An olive branch was included as another sign of peace, while the Moon and distant Earth placed the mission in its wider human context.

The insignia went through a small but important revision. NASA officials felt the eagle’s original talons looked too warlike, so the olive branch was moved from the beak to the talons. The eagle also inspired imagery on later United States coins, including the Eisenhower dollar and the Susan B. Anthony dollar. The lunar module was named Eagle after the emblem’s central bird.