40th Anniversary Apollo 11 Mission

Apollo 11 Mission Insignia

Apollo 11 Mission

Today, Thursday July 16th 2009, is the fortieth anniversary of the famous NASA Apollo 11 Mission when The United States of America sent the first men to walk on the moon. Apollo 11 flew three men to the moon; Mission Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene 'Buzz' Aldrin, Jr.

40th Anniversary Apollo 11 Mission

Apollo 11 was launched by NASA, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, under the presidency of President Richard Nixon, and fulfilled the ambition of President John F. Kennedy, who in a speech to congress in 1961, had set a goal for the American people of reaching the moon by the end of the 1960's.

40th Anniversary Apollo 11 Mission

Monday 20th July 2009 will be the fortieth anniversary of the first man to walk on the moon. The lunar module, Eagle, from NASA's Apollo 11's command module Columbia, landed on the moon carrying Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong.

Fortieth Anniversary of First Man on Moon

The 20th July 1969 will be the fortieth anniversary of the first man to walk on the moon. The lunar module, Eagle, from Apollo 11's command module Columbia, landed on the moon carrying Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. At exactly 20:17 (Co-ordinated Universal Time) Eagle landed on the moon. Following that Neil Armstrong communicated with Mission Control in Houston.... ""Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

Apollo 11 Lunar Landing Module, Eagle

40th Anniversary of First Man on Moon

On July 21st 1969 02:56 (UTC), (which was actually 10:56pm (EDT) July 20th 1969), six and a half hours after the moon landing, Neil Armstrong descended from Eagle to take the first step on the moon. He made the famous announcement to and for the world, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Buzz Aldrin joined Neil armstrong on the surface of the moon, and the two astronauts spent some time moving around on the moon.

First Men to Walk on Moon

The two astronauts tested different ways of moving around on the surface of the moon, practicing walking and making small kangaroo hops. The moon has only one sixth the gravity of earth and the two astronauts had to proceed cautiously. NASA photgraphic and video evidence from the time clearly shows them leaping several feet into the air as a result of jumps.

American Flag on Moon

The astronauts placed an American Flag on the moon and made a radio-telephone call to President Nixon in the White House back on Earth. After deploying various items of equipment on the moon, and collecting samples of "moon dust" and moon rock, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong returned to the lunar module, Eagle, to rest and prepare for the return to Coulumbia and then Earth.

Apollo 11 Returns to Earth

On July 24th, the Astronauts after successfully rendezvousing with Columbia, making the flight back from the moon to earth, and navigating a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, were recovered by NASA helicopter about an hour after splashdown. So ended the successful Apollo 11 Mission of The United States of America to place men on the moon in 1969.