Have you ever looked at the Moon and wondered what it would be like to walk on it? Well, in 1969, a group of brave astronauts from NASA (America’s space agency) did something no human had ever done before—they walked on the Moon.
So just how did this exciting space adventure happen?
The name of the mission
The Moon mission was called Apollo 11. “Apollo” was the name of the space program, and this was the eleventh mission. It was very special because this time, the astronauts were going to try and land on the Moon.
Who were the astronauts?
The three smart and brave astronauts chosen for the mission included
• Neil Armstrong – the commander of the mission
• Michael Collins – the command module pilot
• Buzz Aldrin – the lunar module pilot
Neil and Buzz would go on to land on the Moon, while Michael stayed in the spaceship orbiting above.
Blasting off into space
On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Kennedy in Florida, USA. It was carried by a giant rocket called Saturn V—the most powerful rocket ever built at that time.
Crowds of people watched as the rocket zoomed into the sky, heading towards the Moon. It took the astronauts four days to get there.
Landing on the Moon
On July 20, 1969, the world held its breath as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin gently landed their small Moon lander, called the Eagle, on the Moon’s surface.
Then came the amazing moment the whole world remembers.
Neil Armstrong stepped down and said:
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
He became the first person to ever walk on the Moon! Buzz Aldrin followed him, and together they spent about two and a half hours walking, collecting rocks, and taking photographs.
Planting the Flag
The astronauts placed an American flag on the Moon, took photographs, and even left a message from Earth saying they had come in peace for all of humanity.
They also placed scientific instruments to learn more about the Moon and space.
Coming back home
After their amazing Moonwalk, Neil and Buzz returned to their spaceship. The team safely flew back to Earth and landed in the ocean on July 24, 1969.
They were welcomed as heroes all around the world.
Why was it so important
The Apollo 11 mission showed that humans could travel to outer space, land on another world, and return safely. It proved that with courage, teamwork, and science, even the sky is not the limit.
Next month we will learn all about the fascinating trips made by the Voyager spacecrafts to study the planets of our solar system.
Fun fact
The Moon has no air or wind, so the footprints Neil and Buzz left in 1969 are still there today.
