1969: The Soviet Union was first to land a spacecraft on the moon, in 1959, but NASA's Neil Armstrong becomes the first human to set foot on the lunar surface, realizing humanity's age-old dream. And effectively winning the space race for the United States.

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Incredible Things NASA Did to Train Apollo AstronautsArmstrong and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin left the Apollo 11 command module (piloted by Michael Collins) in orbit and performed a landing in the lunar module Eagle. At 4:18 p.m. EDT, Armstrong announced to a watching and waiting world that "The Eagle has landed."

Six-and-a-half hours later, he stepped onto the powdery surface with the words, "That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Aldrin soon followed Armstrong down the ladder to become the second man to stand on the moon.

The mission was by no means a slam dunk. There was real fear that once on the lunar surface the astronauts might end up marooned and beyond rescue. In fact, President Richard Nixon had a condolence speech ready to go in the event things turned out badly.

Things went as planned, however, and Armstrong and Aldrin returned to the command module, leaving behind a plaque inscribed with the words: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind."

Five more Apollo missions carried astronauts to the moon before the program ended in 1972. (There were to have been six, but Apollo 13's mission ended in near disaster.) The last man to leave his footprint on the moon was Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan, on Dec. 14, 1972.

Source: NASA, Wikipedia

This article first appeared on Wired.com July 20, 2007

Top photo: Buzz Aldrin has just set up seismographic equipment on the surface of the moon, July 20, 1969. The flaglike object on a pole is a solar wind experiment. (Neil Armstrong/NASA/AP)

Neil Armstrong, right, trudges across the moon's surface. Between Armstrong and the lunar module is the U.S. flag, and Buzz Aldrin is closer to the craft. The men reported the surface of the moon was like soft sand, and they left footprints several inches deep. (Associated Press) Neil Armstrong, left, displays a plaque that will later be attached to a landing leg of the lunar module descent stage and will be left on the moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts. In center, Col. Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin holds the Apollo 11 insignia. Command Module pilot Lt. Col. Michael Collins is at right. (Associated Press) Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot, stands on the lunar surface after the Apollo 11 moon landing facing the lunar module. (Associated Press) Aldrin walks toward the footpad of the Apollo 11 lunar module. (NASA/AP) The Apollo 11 crew (Neil Armstrong, Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins, left to right) look out of their isolation trailer as they are greeted by their wives, Pat Collins, Jan Armstrong and Joan Aldrin (left to right), after the astronauts arrived at Ellington Air Force Base near the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, July 27, 1969. (Associated Press)