On This Day in Space! July 20, 1969: Apollo 11 Astronauts take the first moonwalk, ,
On July 20, 1969, human beings walked on the moon for the very first time!
Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin exited their lunar lander and planted their moon boots on the lunar surface at about 11 p.m. EDT (0300 GMT on July 21).
Image 1 of 3[image error]
NASA astronaut Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin Jr stands beside the United States flag during Apollo 11 during a moon walk. (Image credit: NASA)Image 2 of 3[image error]
Astronaut Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin deploys two scientific experiments on the surface of the moon during Apollo 11. (Image credit: NASA)Image 3 of 3[image error]
Astronaut and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin is pictured during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity on the moon. (Image credit: NASA)Armstrong led the way down the ladder. When he took his first step, he famously said, “That’s one small step for a man … one giant leap for mankind.”
Once they found their footing, they got straight to work. They inspected the spacecraft to look for any damage from the landing, set up cameras, collected moon rocks and planted the American flag into the soil. They also strolled around the moon to assess the mobility of their spacesuits.
Catch up on our entire “On This Day In Space” series on YouTube with this playlist.
[image error]
History of NASA: $22.99 at Magazines Direct
Discover the story of how and why NASA was created, its greatest triumphs, darkest days, and of the times it exceeded all possible hopes. A tale of adventure, heroism and resourcefulness, learn of the space agency’s greatest achievements and how — over six decades — the organization has consistently and tirelessly devoted itself to its founding principle: that “activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes for the benefit of all humankind”. View Deal
Still not enough space? Don’t forget to check out our Space Image of the Day, and on the weekends our Best Space Photos and Top Space News Stories of the week.
Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
The post On This Day in Space! July 20, 1969: Apollo 11 Astronauts take the first moonwalk, , appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
