Who commanded Apollo 11 when it made the first crewed Moon landing?

Neil Armstrong commanded Apollo 11 when it made the first crewed Moon landing.

Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 16 July 1969. Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface in Eagle, while command module pilot Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard Columbia. Eagle landed in the Moon’s Sea of Tranquility on 20 July.

Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon, followed shortly by Aldrin. The astronauts spent about two and a half hours outside the lunar module, collecting samples, taking photographs, and deploying scientific instruments. Apollo 11 returned safely to Earth on 24 July 1969.

The mission was part of the United States’ Apollo program, which President John F. Kennedy had challenged NASA to complete before the end of the 1960s. Armstrong’s role as commander is distinct from Aldrin’s role as the second person on the lunar surface.