Apollo 11 became the first NASA mission to land humans on the Moon and return them safely to Earth.
The mission’s lunar module, Eagle, touched down in the southwestern Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent about two and a half hours outside the module, while Michael Collins piloted Columbia in lunar orbit.
The crew gathered lunar material, photographed the surface, and installed experiments including a laser-ranging retroreflector. After liftoff from the Moon, the astronauts reunited in lunar orbit and began their journey home.
Apollo 10 had already tested the lunar landing procedure but stopped short of landing. Apollo 11 therefore combined the first human lunar landing with the first successful round trip from Earth to the lunar surface. The astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24.