Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin were the first humans to walk on the surface of the Moon.
On a Wednesday at 9:32 A.M. on the 16th of July, 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft achieved liftoff from Launch Pad A of Complex 39 of the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida. This was to be a historic journey for Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and command module pilot Michael Collins. Their Saturn V booster rocket carried them successfully into orbit around the Earth in eleven minutes. After one and one half orbits of the earth they fired their Saturn thrusters and began their journey to the moon. They arrived there on July 20th, 1969 after four days. By 1:47 P.M. the lunar lander, named Eagle, separated from the command module to fulfill its mission by descending to and landing on the surface of the moon.
Almost three hours later at 4:18 P.M. they touched down gently on the surface of the moon, and broadcast the famous words "The Eagle has Landed." After hours of preparation added to many more hours of careful planning back on Earth, at 10:56 P.M. (all times are EDT which was used for mission time) Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the lunar surface. He said, "That’s one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind." Then Aldrin joined him on the Moon, and they put up an American Flag, unveiled a plaque signed by themselves, and then President Richard Nixon. Then by radio they had a conversation with Nixon which seems a little stiff compared to their usual witticisms, but no doubt like every other aspect of the mission this had been carefully planned and rehearsed.
The two did everything they planned to do on the Moon, and also took a few impromptu pictures (mostly taken by Armstrong, so that he is not in many of them). At 1:54 P.M., after what must have been among the most intense 24 hours ever lived by men, they took off to return to the command module. Their footprints will remain on the moon’s surface until disturbed by other men or an asteroid, because with no atmosphere on the moon there is no wind to erase them. Their flag, seen in so many Appollo 11 pictures was inadvertently knocked over by the blast of the lunar module's return to orbit since it was hard to get it to penetrate more than a few inches into the Moon’s soil. The lower part of the Eagle, and other equipment, as well as scientific instruments for later missions were left on the moon.
They successfully rejoined the command module, and abandoned the lunar module in orbit around the Moon. They then began a four day journey back to Earth, where they reentered the atmosphere successfully, and splashed down in the Pacific far from any land, but within 800 nautical miles or so of Hawaii. They were picked up by Navy ships, and returned to America as heroes. Parts of the mission had been televised, and millions of Americans had watched these daring pioneers of space travel brave the cold vacuum of space to fulfill the dream of men from times long past, as well as the challenge of President John F. Kennedy who had said such things were possible and could be done before 1970.
