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First Moon Landing

✨ 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin

On 20 July 1969, Apollo 11 became the first crewed mission to land humans on the Moon. The spacecraft was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Three astronauts were aboard: Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins. During the journey, Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command module Columbia, while Armstrong and Aldrin transferred to the lunar module Eagle.

The module touched down in the Sea of Tranquility, a broad plain on the Moon’s near side. Armstrong stepped onto the surface first, followed by Aldrin, while Collins continued to orbit above them. Their landing was watched by millions of people around the world and marked a major achievement in the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Armstrong and Aldrin spent about 21 hours and 36 minutes on the lunar surface. They photographed the terrain, collected rock and soil samples, deployed scientific instruments and examined their surroundings. One instrument measured seismic activity, while others helped scientists study the Moon’s internal structure and environment.

Because lunar gravity is only about one-sixth as strong as Earth’s, the astronauts moved with a distinctive hopping motion. After leaving the surface, Eagle rejoined Columbia in lunar orbit, and all three astronauts began their journey home. Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on 24 July 1969. The mission demonstrated that humans could travel to another world, work on its surface and return safely, while providing valuable scientific information about the Moon.

💡 Did you know?

The panicked computer. A few minutes before landing, Apollo 11's onboard computer started ringing because it had too much to do! Neil Armstrong had to pilot manually to find a flat spot without rocks. He landed the ship when he only had 20 seconds of fuel left!

Eternal traces. Did you know that Neil Armstrong's footprints are still on the Moon? Since there is no air and therefore no wind up there, nothing can erase them. They will probably stay there for millions of years, as a memory of our visit.

Returning in a cage. On their return to Earth, the astronauts had to stay locked up in a kind of sealed caravan for 21 days! Scientists were afraid they would bring back strange microbes or moon diseases. Today we know there is no life on the Moon, but at the time, we preferred to be cautious.