Today (July 20, 2022) marks the 53rd anniversary of the moon landing by the United States Space Shuttle mission Apollo 11. While there were many missions prior to that one on July 20, 1969, it was the first time a human had ever stepped foot on the surface of the moon. If you were a kid when this happened, it’s hard to forget. On July 16, 1969, just seven months after NASA sent the first mission all the way to the moon (though nobody actually stepped on it) in Apollo 8, another Saturn V rocket was headed into space.
The excitement at the Kennedy Space Center and around the globe on that morning was palpable. The rocket launched just after 9:00am EST and minutes later was in orbit. When it was clear everything was running smoothly, NASA gave the order to three young astronauts to head to the moon. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins entered the moon’s orbit three days later and Armstrong and Aldrin climbed aboard the lunar module Eagle to make the first ever moon landing by a human. If Michael Collins isn’t as well-known in history as the first two men, it’s because he didn’t get to walk on the moon that day. He was chosen to stay behind in the command module Columbia in the lunar orbit.
Of course NASA is celebrating today’s anniversary with photos and videos of that massive achievement.
"The Eagle has landed."
— NASA (@NASA) July 20, 2022
On July 20, 1969—53 years ago today—@NASA_Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin touched down in the Sea of Tranquility, becoming the first humans ever to land on the Moon: https://t.co/zsYT9owrYj pic.twitter.com/G0gVxmrHhL
Buzz Aldrin is also getting in on the nostalgia. In his tweet today, Aldrin talked about the pride he and Neil Armstrong felt about representing our country on the Apollo 11 mission.
July 20, 1969, the world witnessed one of the most important achievements in history-humans walking on the moon. Neil, Michael & I were proud to represent America as we took those giant leaps for mankind. It was a moment which united the world and America's finest hour. #Apollo11 pic.twitter.com/EGxN5CxKlr
— Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) July 20, 2022
In honor of the occasion, we put together a collection of photos. You can see in one of the photos with the footprint that the surface of the moon is of a very fine grain. In that famous video released by NASA on that fateful day, Neil Armstrong said the surface was “almost like a powder”. How very cool to have been there.
–Wendy Rush, 96.3 KKLZ, Las Vegas
