Neil Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 lunar module during the first crewed Moon landing recalled by America250. He and lunar-module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969, while command-module pilot Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit.
Armstrong was the mission commander and was the first human to step onto the lunar surface. Aldrin followed shortly afterward. The astronauts spent about two and a half hours outside the lunar module, conducting experiments, collecting samples, and photographing the surface.
Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969, aboard a Saturn V rocket. The crew returned to Earth on July 24 after completing humanity’s first lunar landing mission.
A frequent mix-up is to name Buzz Aldrin because he was the second person to walk on the Moon. Michael Collins also played an essential role but did not descend to the surface. Alan Shepard was the first American in space, not an Apollo 11 crew member.