The first man on the moon For

The first man on the moon

For thousands of years, man had looked to the heavens and dreamed of walking on the moon. In 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong became the very first to accomplish that dream, followed only minutes later by Buzz Aldrin. Their accomplishment placed the United States ahead of the Soviets in the Space Race and gave people around the world the hope of future space exploration.

• Dates: July 20, 1969 • Also Known As: First Moon Landing, First Man to Walk on the Moon • Crew Aboard Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Michael Collins

Overview of the First Man on the Moon • When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, the United States was surprised to find themselves behind in the race to space. Still behind the Soviets in the Space Race four years later, President John F. Kennedy gave inspiration and hope to the American people in his speech to Congress on May 25, 1961 in which he stated, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. " • Just eight years later, the United States accomplished this goal by placing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon.

At 9: 32 a. m. on July 16, 1969, the Saturn V rocket launched Apollo 11 into the sky from Launch Complex 39 A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On the ground there were over 3, 000 journalists, 7, 000 dignitaries, and approximately a half million tourists watching this momentous occasion.

On July 19, at 1: 28 p. m. EDT, Apollo 11 entered the moon's orbit. After spending a full day in lunar orbit, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin boarded the lunar module and detached it from the command module for their descent to the moon's surface.

• After the excitement, exertion, and drama of the lunar landing, Armstrong and Aldrin spent the next six-and-a-half hours resting and then preparing themselves for their moon walk. • At 10: 28 p. m. EDT, Armstrong turned on the video cameras. These cameras transmitted images from the moon to over half a billion people on earth who sat watching their televisions.

Neil Armstrong was the first person out of the lunar module. He climbed down a ladder and then became the first person to set foot on the moon at 10: 56 p. m. EDT. Armstrong then stated, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. "

• Although Armstrong and Aldrin got a chance to admire the tranquil, desolate beauty of the moon's surface, they also had a lot of work to do. NASA had sent the astronauts with a number of scientific experiments to set up and the men were to collect samples from the area around their landing site. They returned with 46 pounds of moon rocks. Armstrong and Aldrin also set up a flag of the United States. •

• The astronauts were treated like heroes on their return. They were met by President Nixon and given ticker-tape parades. These men had accomplished what men had only dared to dream for thousands of years - to walk on the moon.