Did You Know Only 66 Years Separated The First Successful Plane Flights And Moon Landings?

By Khushboo Sheth on April 25 2017 in World Facts







Left: The first successful powered flight of the Wright Flyer in 1903. Right: Armstrong takes the first human steps onto the moon in 1969.

High Achievers

The first aircraft flight, achieved in the aptly named “Wright Flyer” airplane, was conducted by the Wright Brothers in the year 1903 on the 17th of December, which began the era of landmark air flights in human history. This event took place in the Kill Devil Hills-Kitty Hawk area on the east coast of North Carolina in the United States. From there, it took a gap of only 66 years for another remarkable aeronautical achievements to happen, which means that the first successful airplane flight and first ever moon landing were separated by less than seven decades. The first ever landing on the moon was achieved by three Americans who went into space and walked thereon on the 20th of July, 1969. Namely, these astronauts were Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins, who made history in the spacecraft Apollo 11.

The Wright Brothers

The two brothers from Dayton, Ohio who had once been bicycle technicians, namely Orville and Wilbur Wright, took flight in their first designed aircraft near a place situated to the south of Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. The flight was made in the Wright Flyer in the year 1903, and it has been described as the first ever powered flight in a machine controlled by humans. This flight actually marked the start of an important era in the field of the aviation industry. The flight made by the Wright Brothers was said to last only about 12 seconds of time in the air, though it covered a distance of nearly 120 feet in that brief span.

Achievement by Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong made his mark in the history of mankind as he was the first man to walk on the face of Moon, and his first words, spoken as soon as he stepped onto the lunar surface, of "One small step for a man, and a giant leap for mankind" made it into the global news and annals of history. He flew with two other astronauts in the spacecraft Apollo 11, which was sent into space by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, a space program division in the United States of America. He was also the first civilian to step onto the surface of the moon as he worked as a test pilot and was an aeronautical engineer. But his heroic passion allowed him to achieve this rare feat.

Rare Feat by Edwin Buzz Aldrin

Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the second man to step onto the surface of the moon behind Neil Armstrong, and he too was part of the first lunar mission of Apollo 11 sent up by the USA. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a jet fighter pilot, and also participated in the Korean War, in that time flying in 66 combat missions. The first words that he said after landing on the surface of the moon were “Beautiful View and Magnificent Desolation”. Aldrin became the first ever man to hold a religious ceremony on the moon.

Michael Collins's Role

Michael Collins was the army personnel man who has aboard the lunar mission of the Apollo 11, and landed there with the other two famous astronauts mentioned above. He was the pilot to command the module, and even made an orbit around the moon. During his first ever mission in the spacecraft “Gemini 10”, he also had performed a spacewalk and undertaken some two Extra-Vehicular Activities, and became the first person to accomplish this work. During his military career, he had received various honors, and was decorated with medals for his service to his country.