Today, 55 years ago, humans landed on the moon for the first time. More than half a century later, the Apollo program is still the highest peak in the history of human exploration.
On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission reached a historic milestone by successfully landing astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, marking the first time humans set foot on another celestial body.
As Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface, he famously proclaimed, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The mission also included astronaut Michael Collins, who orbited above in the command module Columbia.
This achievement resulted from years of effort and technological advancement, representing a pinnacle of human exploration. The astronauts spent their time on the Moon exploring the surface, collecting soil samples, and planting a specially designed flag before safely returning to Earth.
On the leg of the Apollo 11 descent stage is affixed a plaque, which reads; “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.” Astronaut David Scott meanwhile left a bible behind on the dashboard of a Moon buggy.
Apollo 11 was the first mission to successfully land humans on the Moon, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 goal to send American astronauts to the lunar surface and return them safely to Earth before the end of the decade.
Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours and 36 minutes on the Moon’s surface.
After over eight days in space, they returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24. Armstrong’s first step onto the lunar surface was broadcast live on TV to a global audience.
NASA data shows that the Apollo program spent $546,400 on “manned space flight operations” in 1969 — equivalent to $3.9 million today. NASA is currently developing the Space Launch System toward the goal of launching astronauts to the moon and Mars starting in 2024
