On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed their moon module on a broad dark lunar lava flow, called the Sea of Tranquility. And six hours later, Neil Armstrong became the first human being to walk on the surface of a world beyond Earth.
In the video below, you can hear the excitement in Armstrong’s voice at the successful landing of Eagle on the moon’s surface as he says:
Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
Altogether, Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours and a half on the moon’s surface. Furthermore, they collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of moon rocks for return to Earth. And then they blasted off in their module from the lunar surface to meet up with Michael Collins in the command module orbiting overhead.
Finally they returned safely to Earth and landed in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969.
The Apollo 11 launch
Apollo 11: Watching from mission control
Oh what a view for the Apollo 11 astronauts
The lunar module and Saturn V
There are now 2 heavy lift rockets, either of which could be used for moon missions. Read about SLS v Starship.
Concerns about the surface for footsteps on the moon
An early concern of space engineers had been that the lunar regolith, the fine soil covering the moon, would be soft like quicksand. There was some fear that the Eagle lunar module would sink after landing. Hence Armstrong’s comment about the depth of the footpads in the lunar soil as he descended the ladder before stepping onto the moon.
Holding down the fort with a great view
Splashdown and celebrations for a successful return
A bounty of moon rocks brought back to Earth
The Apollo astronauts brought the first moon rocks back to Earth. Here is a sample.
August 5, 1969 – NASA displays moon rocks brought back with the Apollo 11 mission. The rock box was opened for the first time in the Vacuum Laboratory of Johnson Space Center’s Lunar Receiving Laboratory. pic.twitter.com/Eka8sss6Z6
Experience the Apollo 11 landing site as it appears today, in this video:
Bottom line: Today is the 55th anniversary of humanity’s historic Apollo moon landing and the first human footsteps on the moon. The story in pictures, here.
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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