On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy made a challenge and public commitment to land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. Kennedy involved much study and review before making his decision, and the thought of landing a man on the Moon captured the American public's imagination, generating much support for Apollo. A mixture of political necessity, economic growth, technological ability, and activisim led to an aggressive lunar landing program. The success of Apollo 11 came at a time when American society was in crisis.

The Apollo program began with tragedy on January 27, 1967 when three astronauts, Virgil Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee lost their lives in the Apollo 1 fire. The program rebounded, however, and on October 11, 1968, the first manned Apollo mission, Apollo 7, was launched. Apollo 7, along with Apollo 9, were Earth-orbiting missions and did not go to the Moon. Apollo 8 and Apollo 10 did go to the Moon, but did not land on the lunar surface. On July 20, 1969, man first walked on the Moon when Apollo 11 successfully landed in the Sea of Tranquility. Apollo 11 was followed by five more lunar landings, lasting until 1972 when the program was cancelled.

Apollo 11 was the first manned landing on the Moon. It was launched at 9:32 a.m., EDT on July 16, 1969. The three astronauts, Commander Neil A. Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin blasted off aboard a Saturn V rocket, the most powerful rocket ever built. Launch day had highly suitable weather, with winds 10 knots from the southeast, temperatures in the mid 80's, and clouds at 15,000 feet. Watching is a world-wide television audience and an estimated crowd of one million people at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Half the members of the U.S. Congress and more than 3,000 newsmen from 56 different countries were there to cover the event.

At 9:27 a.m., the access arm of the Saturn V was retracted. Eight seconds before launch, one of the Saturn V's main engines ignited. Soon the other four engines fire and for two seconds the rocket builds up thrust. The hold down clamps are finally released and the Saturn V raised into the air using tens of millions of pounds of thrust. By 9:35, the rocket had travelled 35 miles high and 61 miles downrange, and had reached a speed of 6,340 miles per hour. At 9:44, with the first two stages of the Saturn V jettisoned, Apollo 11 enters a 103 mile high orbit of the Earth. At 12:22 p.m., EDT, Apollo 11 fired the third stage engine. This put the craft on a lunar trajectory at a speed of 24,200 miles per hour. Apollo 11 is on its way to the Moon.

As Apollo 11 continued on its way to the Moon, the lunar module, named Eagle, is unpacked from its compartment on top of the launch rockets. They stop the lunar module (LM) at a distance of 100 feet, turn it around, and dock the command module (CM) with it. Later in the afternoon of July 16, the crew dumps the leftover fuel from the third stage of the Saturn V, sending it into a solar orbit and out of the way of Apollo 11. At 10:59 p.m., EST, Mission Control in Houston tells the astronaut to go to sleep. The spacecraft at this point is 63,880 miles from the Earth. Apollo 11 has completed its first day.

The next three days for the crew are routine as they hurtle towards the Moon. Every morning, Mission Control wakes they crew and gives them a news report while they eat breakfast. Color television telecast are made everyday to a world-wide audience, ranging in length from 18minutes to over half an hour. The astronauts conduct routine chores around the spacecraft, such as reviewing procedures, checking electronics, changing batteries, dumping waste, and checking fuel and oxygen reserves. On July 17, a three second engine burn is conducted as a course correction and to see if the engine needed to bring the spacecraft out of lunar orbit worked.

On July 19, Apollo 11 reaches the Moon. At 1:13 p.m. EDT, the spacecraft passes behind the Moon for the first time, losing radio contact with the Earth. While on the farside, the spacecraft's main engine is fired for six minutes to slow the vehicle so it can enter lunar orbit. They enter a low stable orbit of only 61.3 miles above the lunar surface. Later that afternoon, a telecast of the Moon's surface is conducted. That evening, a second burn lasting 17 seconds is done to put the spacecraft into a 54 by 66 mile high orbit.

At 9:27 a.m., July 20, 1969, Astronaut Buzz Aldrin enters the lunar module Eagle and powers up the systems, followed by Astronaut Neil Armstrong and hour later. At 1:46 p.m., the lunar module seperates from the command module, leaving Astronaut Michael Collins to orbit the Moon. Minutes later, Collins fires the CM engines, moving about two miles away from the LM. At 3:08 p.m., Armstrong and Aldrin fire the LM descent engine for the first time, beginning their trip to the surface of the Moon. Collins reports to Houston the Eagle is heading for the surface.

At 4:05 p.m., Armstrong throttles up the LM engine to slow the craft downn while approaching the lunar surface. The site they approach is on the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong and Aldrin notice they are heading for a crater the size of a football field, forcing Armstrong to take the manuel controls. Slowly they descend to the surface. When the 68 inch long probes beneath the LM footpads touch the surface of the Moon, the "contact light" on the instrument panal lights up, telling Armstrong to shut the engines down. At 4:18 p.m., the LM touches down with a small jolt. Safely on the surface, Armstrong radios "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." The first task for the two astronauts is to prepare the craft for takeoff in case of an emergency.

At 10:39 p.m., EST, Astronaut Armstrong opens the outside hatch of the LM. Armstrong squeezes through the opening, a slow task due to the life support and communications system pack on his back. The pack weighs 84 pounds on the Earth, but only 14 on the Moon. Armstrong proceeds slowly down the 10 foot, 9 step ladder. When he reaches the second step, he pulls a "D ring", which delpoys the television camera that will transmit the historic moment back to Earth. At 10:56 p.m., Armstrong takes his left foot off the LM footpad and places it in the lunar soil. He radios his famous line, "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." It is the first time in history man has set foot upon anything not originating from the Earth.

After surveying his sorroundings and testing his movements in the lunar gravity, Armstrong quickly takes a sample of the lunar soil. He collects a bag full of soil and this is done to insure so,e lunar samples return to Earth in the event of a mission abort. At 11:11 p.m., Astronaut Buzz Aldrin climbs down the LM ladder while Armstrong photographs him. As scheduled, the two astronauts set up the first of three experiments. Aldrin drives a telescoped pole into the lunar surface with foil hanging from it. The purpose of the experiment is to collect particles from the solar wind in the foil and return them to Earth for analysis.

At 11:41 p.m., the astronauts plant the flag of the United States into the lunar surface. The flas has a wire attached to keep it extended on the windless Moon. Six minutes later, Houston announces they are sending a call through from President Richard Nixon. President Nixon told the astronauts that "for one priceless moment, in the whole history of man, all the people of this Earth are truly one." Armstrong replies that "it is an honor and privilege to be representing not only the United States, but men of peace from all nations."

Armstrong and Aldrin continue to deploy the experiments that are to be left on the Moon. Armstrong collects lunar rock and soil samples, placing them in two air tight specimen boxes. Aldrin places two devices on the lunar surface at a distance of 30 feet from the LM. One is a seismic detector to measure "moonquakes" and meteorite impacts. The other is a laser reflector, a device that is to be used to bounce laser beams off the Moon, enabling scientists to get a more accurate reading of the Earth - Moon distance. At 12:54 a.m., July 21, Houston tells the astronauts their tasks have been completed and it was time to return to the LM. By 1:09, both Armstrong and Aldrin were aboard. They conduct last minute checks on the LM systems and go to sleep at 4:25 a.m.

At 9:44 a.m., July 21, Houston wakes Michael Collins, who had been orbiting the Moon while Armstrong and Aldrin were on the surface. At 11:13 the two astronauts in Eagle were awaken. All three began to make final checks on their respective spacecraft to prepare for the redocking of Eagle and Columbia. At 1:54 p.m., Eagle blasts off from the lunar surface. Behind them the astronauts leave the LM descent stage with a plaque attached, a t.v. camera, two still cameras, tools, life support systems, boots, experiment devices, and the American flag. At 5:35 p.m. Eagle re-docks with Columbia.

At 12:56 a.m., July 22, the transearth injection burn begins. Apollo 11 is beginning its trip back to Earth. At 1:39 that afternoon, the spacecraft passes the point where lunar gravity is no longer affecting them and the Earth's gravity takes over (33,000 miles away from the Moon). A course correction burn is made and an 18 minute television broadcast is made. That night, Apollo 11 passes the halfway point between the Earth and the Moon.

On July 24, the crew is awaken at 6:47 to prepare for splashdown. Apollo 11 reaches the Earth and enters orbit. At 12:21 p.m., the CM sperates from the Service Module (SM), and 15 minutes later re-enters the Earth's atmosphere. At 12:51, the spacecraft spashes down 825 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, and 13 miles from the recovery ship, the U.S.S. Hornet. By 1:30 Astronauts Collins, Armstrong, and Aldrin are recovered from the CM and taken aboard a helicopter. They arrive at 2:00 p.m. to the Hornet and are quickly placed in a mobile quarantine trailer, where they will remain until July 27. This was a precaution taken to keep the Earth safe from any possible "Moon germs". President Nixon laters meets with the astronauts and speaks to them through an intercom system. At 3:55 p.m., the command module is recovered and placed aboard the U.S.S. Hornet, ending the mission of Apollo 11.