Today , 47 age ago , arguably the most polar moment in human history accept place . Because that ’s when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the surface of the Moon , find out around the world .
The successful landing of Apollo 11 on July 20 , 1969 , was the closing of John F Kennedy ’s mantra in 1961 ( in one of thebest speechesof all clip ) to land humans on the Moon by the end of the tenner . It follow numerous manned missionary station across the Gemini and Mercury program , beginning with the first American in outer space , Alan Shepard , on May 5 , 1961 .
It also , of course , efficaciously won the “ blank race ” for the US against the Soviet Union . Both had been racing towards a lunar landing , but a strand of succeeder for the Soviet Union ( including Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man in infinite on April 12 , 1961 ) had on the face of it put them ahead . They even had program of their own to put down a single cosmonaut on the Moon , likely to have been first spacewalker Alexei Leonov .
But their heavy - nip and tuck arugula that would have taken them there , the N1,repeatedly failed . NASA ’s Saturn V , by comparison , proved to be a stunning success that would set up all six Moon land military mission ( and the poorly - fated Apollo 13 ) .
Since the last mission , Apollo 17 in 1972 , no humans have come back to the Moon . But Russia , ESA , and even China have their eyes on returning , while NASA place its sights today on going to Mars .
Here , we take a feeling back at some of the stunning imagery from the Apollo 11 delegation .
All images courtesy of NASA
The Apollo 11 crew . From left to right : Neil Armstrong , Michael Collins , and Buzz Aldrin
The Saturn V skyrocket with Armstrong , Collins , and Aldrin on table is seen go ultrasonic one arcminute after launching on July 16 , 1969 .
The lunar module with Aldrin and Armstrong on board in lunar domain is pictured by Collins .
Buzz Aldrin inside the Apollo 11 Lunar Module on July 20 , 1969 .
The minute Neil Armstrong step out onto the lunar control surface , becoming the first human being to set substructure on the Moon .
Aldrin looks out over the lunar surface entertain two parts of the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package ( EASEP ) .
A famous simulacrum of Aldrin on the surface of the Moon . Armstrong is visible in the visor ’s reflection .
A rarified pellet of Armstrong on the Moon , who had taken most of the photograph himself .
Armstrong and Aldrin stimulate their way back to Collins in lunar scope .
President Richard Nixon talks to the Apollo astronauts in the Mobile Quarantine Facility after their return to Earth on July 24 , 1969 .
New York City keep as the three Apollo 11 astronauts ( in the car on the left ) make their way down Broadway and Park Avenue after the successful missionary post .
Collins ( give ) and Aldrin ( secondly from left hand ) take on with Barack Obama just after the forty-fifth day of remembrance of Apollo 11 in 2014 . Armstrong ’s widow , Carol Armstrong , is first on the right of Obama .
