July 20The first man to walk on the moon was American astronaut Neil Armstrong. On July 20, 1969, he and his fellow astronaut, Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, left the command module Columbia and landed the lunar module Eagle on the moon's Sea of Tranquillity. Armstrong's first words as he stepped out on the lunar surface were heard by an estimated 600 million television viewers around the world: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Collins, pilot of the Columbia, continued to circle the moon for the 21 1 + 2 hours during which Armstrong and Aldrin conducted their experiments. The information they collected about the moon's soil, terrain, and atmospheric conditions made an enormous contribution to knowledge of the universe and future space exploration. The Apollo 11 mission was completed eight years after President John F. Kennedy told Congress he believed that the United States could put a man on the moon before the decade ended.
CONTACTS:
NASA Public Communications Office
NASA Headquarters, Ste. 5K39
Washington, D.C. 20546
202-358-0001; fax: 202-358-3469
www.nasa.gov
SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, p. 536
AnnivHol-2000, p. 120