Apollo 11: From the Earth to the Moon and into History

1961: Behind in the Space Race, JFK Sets Goal of Men on the MoonOn May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced before a special joint session of Congress the dramatic and ambitious goal of sending an American safely to the moon before the end of the decade.

July 16, 1969: Apollo 11 Crew Prepares for LiftoffThe Apollo 11 crew leaves Kennedy Space Center’s Manned Spacecraft Operations Building during the pre-launch countdown. Mission commander Neil Armstrong, command module pilot Michael Collins, and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin prepare to ride the special transport van to Launch Complex 39A where their spacecraft awaited them.

July 16: Liftoff!The American flag heralded the launch of Apollo 11. The massive Saturn V rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 9:32 a.m. EDT.

July 16: Presidential VisionLady Bird Johnson, former President Lyndon B. Johnson and then current Vice President Spiro Agnew are among the spectators at the launch of Apollo 11.

July 20: The Eagle Prepares to Land on the MoonThe Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle, in a landing configuration was photographed in lunar orbit from the Command and Service Module Columbia. Inside the module were Commander Neil A. Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin. The long rod-like protrusions under the landing pods are lunar surface sensing probes. Upon contact with the lunar surface, the probes sent a signal to the crew to shut down the descent engine.

The Eagle landed in the Sea of Tranquility at 4:18 p.m. EDT.Afterwards, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin ate their first meal on the moon and decided to begin the surface operations earlier than planned. The Eagle camera provided live coverage of Armstrong setting foot on the lunar surface at 10:56 p.m. EDT. The rest is history: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

July 20: Buzz Aldrin Steps Into HistoryIn one of the most famous photographs of the 20th Century, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon near the leg of the lunar module Eagle. Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera. Armstrong and Aldrin explored the Sea of Tranquility for two and a half hours.

July 20: A Long Look at Tranquility BaseLunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin was photographed during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity on the moon by mission commander Neil Armstrong. Aldrin had just deployed the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package. In the foreground is the Passive Seismic Experiment Package; beyond it is the Laser Ranging Retro-Reflector; in the far right background is the Lunar Module “Eagle.”

July 20: A Print for HistoryOne of the first steps taken on the Moon, this is an image of Buzz Aldrin’s bootprint from the Apollo 11 mission.

Aug. 13: NYC Celebrates Apollo 11 ReturnNew York City welcomes the Apollo 11 crew in a ticker tape parade down Broadway and Park Avenue. Pictured in the lead car, from the right, are astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin.

July 21, 2004: White House Reception for Apollo 11 CrewThe day after the 35th anniversary of their historic lunar landing mission, Apollo 11 crewmembers met President George W. Bush in the Oval Office of the White House. From left, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, President Bush, Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin.