Space & Astronomy

45th anniversary of the first moon landing

By T.K. Randall
July 20, 2014 ·  47 comments

One small step. Image Credit: NASA When the Saturn V rocket carrying Apollo 11 and its crew first took off from the Kennedy Space Center on July 16th, 1969 the whole world watched with bated breath as three men took to the heavens on the most daring mission ever undertaken.

Four days later Neil Armstrong emerged from the lunar lander, descended the ladder on the outside of the spacecraft and left the first ever footprints in the lunar soil as he uttered the immortal words "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."The mission, on which Armstrong was also joined by Buzz Aldrin in the lander and Michael Collins in the orbiting command spacecraft, would go on to be regarded as one of the most significant accomplishments in the history of the world.

"I feel a very special obligation to say, 'Thank you, Neil, Buzz and Mike,'" said NASA administrator Charles Bolden. "We're standing on your shoulders, building on your historic achievements and getting ready to take the next giant leap for humankind."


Source: Space.com | Comments (47)

Tags: Moon, Apollo