On July 16, 1969, NASA launched the space rocket Saturn V, which had the Lunar Module spacecraft and astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins aboard. Their mission, called Apollo 11, was to land the module on the surface of the moon, a feat that no other human had ever done before.
Four days later, on July 20, the crew reached the moon's surface successfully.
Armstrong's first step on the moon was historical and most significant in the name of science during the last century. Their exploration was beamed to millions of people all over the Earth, who heard the voice of Armstrong declaring the famous words, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
When Aldrin followed Armstrong out of the lunar module, he could only mutter, "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, a magnificent desolation," upon seeing what was around the moon, according to New York Daily News.
Collins was the pilot of the spacecraft, while Armstrong and Aldrin did their explorations on the moon's soil, gathering samples and collecting 50 pounds of lunar rocks and soil, the report stated.
The astronauts also planted the flag of the United States and left the Early Apollo Scientific Experiment Package (EASEP) behind. This container had two drawings of the Earth's western and eastern hemispheres, the signatures of the astronauts as well as President Nixon, and an inscription. It read: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind," according to NASA.
Four days later, the crew returned to Earth after their monumental mission.
Listen to the original audio transmission of the very first moon landing via NASA.
