Apollo 11 -- First Footprint on the Moon

Image above: Buzz stands in front of the Lunar Module named Eagle. Credit: NASA

Image above: The first footprints on the Moon will be there for a million years. There is no wind to blow them away.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave a speech. He said that the U.S. should work quickly and meet a goal. The goal was to send people to the Moon and back.The U.S. did meet the goal. And it only took eight years. One day in July, Apollo 11 launched towards the Moon. It had three astronauts on it. They were Neil Armstrong, Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin and Michael Collins.A few days later, Apollo 11 began to orbit around the Moon. Then Armstrong and Aldrin took the Lunar Module to the Moon. They left Collins in orbit. What did they say when they landed on the moon? "The Eagle has landed." Eagle was the name of the Lunar Module.On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong put his left foot on the rocky Moon. It was the first human footprint on the Moon. They had taken TV cameras with them.So, people all over the world watched when it happened. More people watched this Moon landing than any other show on TV.The two astronauts walked on the Moon. They picked up rocks and dirt to bring back to Earth. The astronauts had much work to do. Then, the Eagle went back to meet astronaut Collins. He was in the Command Module working.Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. The astronauts were safe at home.