President Kennedy believed that man could go to the moon and return to earth since 1961. During that time, the United States and the Soviet Union were in the middle of a Cold War. The Soviet Union was far more advanced than the United States so it was important for the US to act quickly. In 1966, the US sent an unmanned mission to the moon. In 1967, three astronauts died on the launch pad. Apollo 7 was sent to the moon and back with a crew in 1968.
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were the crew of the Apollo 11 spaceflight. Armstrong and Aldren took the lunar module Eagle to the moon’s surface. On July 20, 2969, at 4:17 pm, Armstrong said, “The Eagle has landed.” At 10:56 pm, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon. Armstrong was the first human to ever step on the moon. His famous quote that has been repeated many times is: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Aldrin followed Armstrong soon after that and they placed the American flag on the moon. They also spoke to President Nixon at that time. Along with the flag, they placed a plaque with it that states,
“Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the moon - July 1969 A.D. - We came in peace for all mankind."
The crew returned to Earth on July 24, 1969, and landed in the Pacific Ocean.
Class Activities:
- NASA has a page showing some pictures of that day
- Apollo 11 Moonwalk Montage.
- Imagine you are one of the astronauts, write a letter to your family and share how you are feeling, what you are doing, and what you are seeing.
Photo by NASA on Unsplash
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