First Men on the Moon
Apollo 11 has landed on the moon and is coming home
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins will soon complete their mission to land safely on the moon, collect samples of lunar rock, set up scientific experiments and return home.
On the 16th July 1969, Apollo 11 blasted off into space from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, with mission commander Neil Armstrong, command module pilot Michael Collins and lunar landing module pilot Buzz Aldrin aboard.
The lunar landing module Eagle touched down in the Sea of Tranquility on the surface of the moon on July 20th. Neil Armstrong was the first to leave the lunar landing module and, as he stepped off the final rung of the ladder, he spoke these momentous words: ” It’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent two and a half hours walking on the moon before returning to the lunar landing module. After a total of twenty-one and a half hours on the surface of the moon, they were connected back onto the command module, piloted by Michael Collins.
The command module Columbia then began its long journey home and is expected back later today.
