“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”
– President John F. Kennedy
On Sunday, July 20th, 1969, the world watched on television sets as two astronauts – Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin – become the first to set foot on the surface of the Moon. Armstrong climbed down from the lunar module (called the Eagle), saying, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”
While on the Sea of Tranquility, Armstrong and Aldrin deployed a television camera, raised the American flag, collected samples, talked with President Richard M. Nixon, set up scientific equipment, and gave millions of listeners a description of their experiences.
The mission fulfilled President John F. Kennedy’s goal of reaching the moon by the end of the 1960s.
