Who was the commander of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, the first crewed Moon landing?

Neil Armstrong was the commander of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, the first crewed Moon landing.

Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969. Armstrong commanded the mission, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin served as lunar module pilot, and Michael Collins served as command module pilot. Collins remained in lunar orbit while Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the surface.

The lunar module Eagle landed in the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969. Armstrong became the first human to walk on the Moon, followed by Aldrin. The astronauts spent more than two hours outside the module, collected lunar samples, deployed scientific instruments, and photographed the surface.

A common mix-up is naming Aldrin, who was the second person to walk on the Moon, or Collins, who piloted Columbia in lunar orbit. Apollo 11 returned safely to Earth on July 24, 1969, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy’s decade-ending lunar-landing goal.