Home » Beyond Brooklyn

The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11

By on in Beyond Brooklyn
50 years ago, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon.
50 years ago, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon.

On July 20, 1969, humans walked on another world for the first time in history, achieving the goal that President John F. Kennedy had set in 1961, before Americans had even orbited the Earth.

After a landing that included dodging a lunar crater and boulder field just before touchdown, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin explored the area around their lunar landing site for more than two hours. They collected soil and rock samples, set up experiments, planted an American flag, and left behind medallions honoring the Apollo 1 crew and a plaque saying, “We came in peace for all mankind.”

Let’s celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Fellow astronaut, Michael Collins, circled the moon alone while his mission-mates walked on the surface. He was a solitary figure far from home. The number of people behind the scenes was phenomenal and the entire world watched and listened to those famous words, “The Eagle has Landed.”

 

 

 

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon near the leg of the lunar module Eagle during the Apollo 11 mission. Mission commander Neil Armstrong took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera. Photo: NASA
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon near the leg of the lunar module Eagle during the Apollo 11 mission. Mission commander Neil Armstrong took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera. Photo: NASA

 

Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses for a photograph beside the deployed United States flag during an Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface. The Lunar Module (LM) is on the left, and the footprints of the astronauts are clearly visible in the soil of the moon. Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, took this picture with a 70mm Hasselblad lunar surface camera. Image Credit: NASA
Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses for a photograph beside the deployed United States flag during an Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface. The Lunar Module (LM) is on the left, and the footprints of the astronauts are clearly visible in the soil of the moon. Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, took this picture with a 70mm Hasselblad lunar surface camera. Image Credit: NASA
This view of Earth rising over the Moon's horizon was taken from the Apollo 11 spacecraft. The lunar terrain pictured is in the area of Smyth's Sea on the nearside. Photo: NASA
This view of Earth rising over the Moon’s horizon was taken from the Apollo 11 spacecraft. The lunar terrain pictured is in the area of Smyth’s Sea on the nearside. Photo: NASA

 

Apollo 11 crew of (left to right) Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin.
Apollo 11 crew of (left to right) Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin.

 

Saturn V projection using the Washington Monument as a giant screen, to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the mission that brought man to the moon.

 

This video shows Neil Armstrong climbing down the lunar module ladder to the lunar surface. The video compares existing footage with the partially restored video. The thumbnail image shows the new footage on the left and the old on the right.