Sources: National Air and Space Museum, NASA, a few different books, and Youtube

The testing at NASA for the Apollo 11 mission began on November 21, 1968. The goal to get men to the Moon was set by US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

The three Apollo 11 astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins, took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida in the Saturn V Rocket. They took off on July 16, 1969 at 9:32 A.M. EST. They took 2 hours and 33 minutes to leave Earth's orbit.

Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin touched down on Mars Tranquillitatis, or the Sea of Tranquility, on July 20, 1969 at 4:17 EST. Once the Lunar Module, or the Eagle, had touched down on the surface of the Moon, Armstrong said to the NASA officials in Houston "The Eagle has landed!" 109 hours and 42 minutes after launch, Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon and said "That's one small step for land, one giant leap for mankind!"

When Armstrong and Aldrin stepped on the Moon, they had just taken the first human steps on another planetary body. While they were on the Moon, Armstrong and Aldrin collected moon rocks, took photos, and planted an American flag. They left medallions with the names of the crew of Apollo 1, who died during launch, and two cosmonauts who also died. They also left a 1 ½ in. silicon disk with a message from 73 different countries. After they had spent 21 hours and 36 minutes on the Moon, which included 7 hours of rest, they left for Earth on July 21, 1969 at 1:54 P.M. EST.

The astronauts returned to Earth on July 24, 1969 at 12:50 P.M. EST. They landed in the Pacific Ocean, just south of Johnston Atoll, south west of Hawaii. The retrieval ship was the U.S.S. Hornet.

•Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to the Moon

•All three astronauts participated in a Gemini launch

•The astronauts continually transmitted updates via TV to Earth

•The plaque, connected to the descent stage, has a map of Earth and reads: "HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH FIRST SET FOOT UPON THE MOON JULY 1969 A.D. WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND" The plaque is still on the Moon today

The Apollo 11 Backup Crew

•Mission Commander-James A. Lovell

•Lunar Module Pilot-Fred W. Haise, Jr.

•Command Module Pilot-William A. Anders

Thanks for reading! If you have any suggestions to add to my Blast to the Past series, comment down below! I hope you enjoyed-ZQ