World Celebrates 50th Anniversary of First Landing on the Moon

Many continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing. On 20 July 1969, the Eagle module from Apollo 11 landed at Tranquility Base. Hours later, at 21:56 CT (03:56 GMT), Neil Armstrong made history by becoming the first person to walk on the Moon.

NASA marked the anniversary by streaming footage of the launch online, giving a new generation a chance to see the historic moment that was watched by half a billion people 50 years ago, the moment the spacecraft landed, Apollo 11 commander Armstrong said: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”

Charlie Duke, the capsule communicator, responded from mission control in Houston: “Roger, Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We’re breathing again.”

Hours later, as he first stepped on to the Moon’s surface, he uttered the historic phrase: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Armstrong was joined on the mission by his crewmates Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. All three were born in 1930. Aldrin and Collins are still alive, but Armstrong died in 2012 at the age of 82.

…TVC