In the space achievements celebrated by America250, Neil Armstrong commanded Apollo 11’s first crewed Moon landing.
Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969, atop a Saturn V rocket. The crew consisted of Armstrong, command module pilot Michael Collins, and lunar module pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.
Armstrong and Aldrin landed the lunar module Eagle in the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, while Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard Columbia. Armstrong became the first human to step onto the Moon, followed by Aldrin about nineteen minutes later.
The astronauts spent more than two hours on the lunar surface, collecting rocks, taking photographs, deploying scientific equipment, and placing a U.S. flag. Apollo 11 returned safely to Earth on July 24, 1969. A common mix-up is naming Aldrin as commander: he was the lunar module pilot, while Armstrong led the mission.