View of Apollo 11 spacecraft on launch pad
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NASA

Apollo 11

Apollo 11 was the first mission that landed a person on the moon. On July 16, 1969, the U. S. rocket Saturn 5 was launched carrying the lunar landing module Eagle. The Eagle was released and it reached the Moon three days later. On July 20, millions of people back on Earth watched and listened as astronaut Neil Armstrong prepared to walk on the lunar surface.

"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". With these historic words, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon, leaving his footprint in the lunar soil. Over the next two and a half hours, he and another astronaut took photographs, collected soil and rock samples, and raised the American flag, while walking around on the Moon.

Apollo 11 returned safely to Earth on July 24, 1969. Today, the Apollo 11 mission is still one of the greatest space missions of all time.

Last modified July 19, 2001 by Jennifer Bergman.

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