On 20th July 2019, the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing. On that day in 1969, US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, landed the Apollo 11 lunar module on the Moon's surface. Armstrong became the first person to step on to the lunar surface six hours later. Aldrin joined him 19 minutes after that. They were in the region of the Moon called the Sea of Tranquility. Together, the astronauts spent about two and a quarter hours outside the spacecraft, collecting rock samples and setting up experiments. While they did so, a third astronaut, Michael Collins, flew the command module alone in lunar orbit. The lunar module spent 21.5 hours on the surface of the Moon before rejoining the command module in lunar orbit and setting off for home.

Apollo 11

Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center on 16th July 1969. The spacecraft had three parts: a command module (CM, named Columbia); a service module (SM), which provided propulsion, electrical power, oxygen and water; and a lunar module (LM, named Eagle) with two stages—a descent stage for landing on the Moon, and an ascent stage to send the astronauts back into lunar orbit.

Eagle's descent to the lunar surface was far from straightforward. Soon after its engine fired to slow its descent from an altitude of 15,000 metres (50,000 feet), Armstrong realised that Eagle would be "landing long"—beyond its planned landing zone. A series of alarms blared in the cockpit as Eagle neared the surface, indicating computer overload. Mission Control quickly checked and decided these could be safely ignored.

Charlie Duke at Mission Control—the only person who communicated directly with the flight crew—told Armstrong and Aldrin that Eagle had around one minute's worth of fuel left in its tank. But Aldrin was too busy giving Armstrong detailed directions to acknowledge the call. Then, just when Mission Control were expecting to hear the 15-second warning, Armstrong landed Eagle and shut down the engine.


"Man on the moon!" announced the CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite to millions of people watching the events unfold on live TV.
"We copy you down, Eagle," Duke radioed the astronauts, nervously.
"Houston, Tranquillity Base here," Armstrong replied. "The Eagle has landed."
"Roger, Twam...Tranquillity, we copy you on the ground" stammered a relieved Duke. "You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot."

About six-and-a-half hours later, at 10.56 p.m. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time), Armstrong stood on Eagle's foot pad before placing his foot on to the dusty lunar surface. Millions of people around the world peered at the grainy TV pictures in wonder.
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." (Armstrong dropped the "a" before "man", which would have given his words the full meaning he intended—but everyone knew what he meant.)
"For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this Earth are truly one," spoke US President Richard Nixon by phone to the astronauts from the White House. "One in their pride in what you have done, and one in our prayers that you will return safely to Earth."