On 25 May 1961, President John F. Kennedy stood before the United States Congress and made a bold promise. He challenged the nation to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade. Many people thought it was impossible. NASA had only sent one astronaut into space the month before. But Kennedy believed it could be done.
Over the next eight years, NASA worked relentlessly to fulfil that promise. Engineers built increasingly powerful rockets and tested new technologies. Scientists trained teams of astronauts for the extreme conditions of space. Several missions flew to orbit the Earth and the moon to prepare the way. Each mission taught NASA something new.
On 16 July 1969, Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Three astronauts were on board: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. The rocket carried them out of Earth's atmosphere and towards the moon. The journey took four days.
On 20 July 1969, the lunar module — called Eagle — separated from the main spacecraft and descended towards the moon's surface. Collins stayed in orbit while Armstrong and Aldrin made the final descent. At 20:17 UTC, Eagle landed. Armstrong radioed back to Earth: "The Eagle has landed."
Six hours later, Armstrong became the first human being to walk on the moon. He stepped onto the surface and said the words that the whole world heard: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Aldrin joined him shortly afterwards. Together, they collected rock samples, took photographs, and planted an American flag in the grey dust.
On 24 July 1969, the three astronauts splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. Millions of people around the world watched the mission on television and celebrated. More than fifty years later, it remains one of the greatest achievements in human history.