Apollo 11
First lunar landing
Apollo 11 was the 1969 American space mission that first landed humans on the Moon.
Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the lunar surface while Michael Collins orbited above.
The mission fulfilled President Kennedy's goal of reaching the Moon before the decade's end and remains a defining achievement in human exploration: Where were you when Apollo 11 landed?
First person on moon
- astronautsCrew of spacecraft
- commanderPerson with authority over others
- mission controlEarth-based space operations hub
- flight directorSpacecraft operations supervisor
Buzz Aldrin · space suit · training · quarantine · debriefing · ticker-tape parade · presidential medal · goodwill tour
Dark lunar plain
- one small stepMinimal initial progress
- American flagNational emblem, starred banner
- moonwalkBackward-gliding dance step
- regolithFragmented covering over bedrock
lunar dust · rock samples · seismometer · plaque · lunar surface · low gravity
Set into motion
- countdownBackward enumeration to zero
- liftoffMoment of ascent
- trajectoryPath of moving object
- orbitCurved celestial path
rendezvous · docking · descent · landing · EVA · moonwalk · ascent · splashdown
Late sixties year
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
- Soviet UnionFormer communist superstate
- national prideEsteem for one's country
- giant leapVery large jump
Apollo program launch vehicle
- service moduleSpacecraft's power and propulsion unit
- rocket stagesStackable propulsion segments
- dockingConnecting to a port
- hatchOpening in deck or floor
heatshield · guidance computer · thrusters · propulsion · fuel cells · oxygen tanks · navigation · telecommunications
Neil Armstrong
First person on moon
- astronautsCrew of spacecraft
- commanderPerson with authority over others
- mission controlEarth-based space operations hub
Buzz Aldrin · flight director · space suit · training · quarantine · debriefing · ticker-tape parade · presidential medal · goodwill tour
Sea of Tranquility
Dark lunar plain
- one small stepMinimal initial progress
- American flagNational emblem, starred banner
- moonwalkBackward-gliding dance step
regolith · lunar dust · rock samples · seismometer · plaque · lunar surface · low gravity
launch
Set into motion
- countdownBackward enumeration to zero
- liftoffMoment of ascent
- trajectoryPath of moving object
orbit · rendezvous · docking · descent · landing · EVA · moonwalk · ascent · splashdown · recovery
1969
Late sixties year
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
- Soviet UnionFormer communist superstate
- national prideEsteem for one's country
giant leap · anniversary celebrations · Smithsonian · world unity
Saturn V
Apollo program launch vehicle
- service moduleSpacecraft's power and propulsion unit
- rocket stagesStackable propulsion segments
- dockingConnecting to a port
hatch · heatshield · guidance computer · thrusters · propulsion · fuel cells · oxygen tanks · navigation · telecommunications · reentry
- Space Historymoon landing, Sputnik, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, space race
- Moon missionsPeregrine, Artemis, lunar lander, moon landing, lunar landing
- Space MissionsVoyager, Cassini, Galileo, Pioneer, Juno
- Historic LandingsD-Day, Normandy, Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, Juno Beach
- spacecraftspacecraft, starships, spaceship, Voyager 1, rocket ships
- spaceflightlaunch, astronaut, spacecraft, liftoff, orbit
Apollo 11Challenger disaster
Shuttle destroyed during ascent
Apollo 13 · Columbia disaster · Apollo 1 · Hindenburg · Titanic
Apollo 11Voyager 1
Interstellar NASA spacecraft
Voyager 2 · Mars Rover · Curiosity · Perseverance · Cassini
Apollo 11Skylab
Pioneering American orbital habitat
International Space Station · Mir · Space Shuttle · Soyuz · Hubble Space Telescope