Which 1969 mission first carried humans to the surface of the Moon?

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Apollo 11 was the 1969 mission that first carried humans to the surface of the Moon.

NASA launched Apollo 11 from Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module Eagle in the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, while command module pilot Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit. Armstrong and Aldrin spent about two and a half hours outside the module during their first surface excursion.

Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon, followed shortly by Aldrin. The astronauts collected lunar samples, deployed scientific instruments and photographed the surface before returning to Earth on July 24. Apollo 8 had previously carried humans around the Moon without landing, and Apollo 10 tested the landing procedures. Apollo 12 became the second mission to land astronauts on the Moon later in 1969.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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