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Team spirit - The crew of Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong (left), Michael Collins (center), and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.
© Public Domain
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The destination
- The landing site.
© Getty Images
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Apollo 11 launch - July 16, 1969. Saturn V launches from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex in Florida.
© Public Domain
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In lunar orbit - Apollo 11 command/service module Columbia in lunar orbit, photographed from the lunar module Eagle.
© Public Domain
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Ascent to the lunar surface - The Apollo 11 lunar module ascent stage, with astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin aboard, is photographed from the command and service modules in lunar orbit.
© Reuters
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The "Eagle" has landed - Apollo 11 mission commander Neil Armstrong pictured inside the lunar module after landing on the surface.
© Getty Images
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The second man on the moon - Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was the lunar module pilot, and followed Armstrong onto the moon.
© Reuters
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One small step... - A mounted slowscan TV camera showing Armstrong as he climbs down the ladder to the surface and into history.
© Public Domain
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Working on the moon - Neil Armstrong works at the lunar module in one of the few photos taken of him on the moon from the surface.
© Public Domain
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Patriot - Buzz Aldrin on the moon salutes the US flag.
© Public Domain
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A picture of the age - Buzz Aldrin poses on the Moon, allowing Neil Armstrong to photograph both of them using the visor's reflection.
© Getty Images
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Lunar experiments - Aldrin next to the Passive Seismic Experiment Package with Eagle in the background.
© Public Domain
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A long way from home - Earth rises above the moon's horizon during the Apollo 11 lunar mission.
© Getty Images
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Walking on the moon - The iconic image of Buzz Aldrin's bootprint embedded in the lunar surface.
© Public Domain
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Splashdown - On July 24, the command module Columbia splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Pictured, divers assist in retrieving the astronauts.
© Public Domain
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Potential biohazard
- The returning astronauts in their Biological Isolation Garments aboard the USS Hornet.
© Public Domain
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Presidential greeting - The crew of Apollo 11 in quarantine after returning to Earth are visited by US President Richard Nixon.
© Public Domain
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Homecoming - In August 1969, the three astronauts rode in ticker-tape parades through a number of US cities held to honor their accomplishment. They are pictured in New York.
© Getty Images
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Space medal of honor - Neil Armstrong receives the first Congressional Space Medal of Honor from US President Jimmy Carter in 1978. Subsequent Apollo mission astronauts Pete Conrad (left) and Frank Borman (second left) look on.
© Public Domain
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40th anniversary celebrations - President Barack Obama hosts Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong in the White House July 20, 2009.
© Getty Images
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Valuable souvenir - An Apollo 11 emblem, flown into lunar orbit and signed by Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin, sold for US$62,500 at the Space History Sale at Bonham's auction house in New York, 2014.
© Reuters
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Controversial sale - In 2017, a moon rock bag used by Neil Armstrong and laced with moon dust sold at auction for US$1 million, Smithsonian reported.
© Reuters
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Receiving the Congressional Gold Medal - Michael Collins deep in thought before he and his fellow crew members receive the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
© Getty Images
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The Congressional Gold Medal - The three Apollo astronauts and John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, were awarded the medals in 2011.
© Public Domain
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They did reach the moon! - In 2012, the Apollo 11 landing site was photographed from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The images finally put to bed rumors that the landing did not take place.
© Public Domain
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Neil Armstrong dies - Neil Armstrong died on August 25, 2012 from complications after heart surgery. His cremated remains were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean.
© Public Domain
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Historic exhibit - The Apollo 11 command module Columbia on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
© Getty Images
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The "Space Window"
- A tiny piece of moon rock is embedded in a stained glass window in Washington National Cathedral.
© Getty Images
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'First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong'
- Ryan Gosling starred in a film adaptation of 'First Man,' based on Neil Armstrong's official biography.
© Getty Images
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© Getty Images
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Team spirit - The crew of Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong (left), Michael Collins (center), and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.
© Public Domain
1 / 30 Fotos
The destination
- The landing site.
© Getty Images
2 / 30 Fotos
Apollo 11 launch - July 16, 1969. Saturn V launches from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex in Florida.
© Public Domain
3 / 30 Fotos
In lunar orbit - Apollo 11 command/service module Columbia in lunar orbit, photographed from the lunar module Eagle.
© Public Domain
4 / 30 Fotos
Ascent to the lunar surface - The Apollo 11 lunar module ascent stage, with astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin aboard, is photographed from the command and service modules in lunar orbit.
© Reuters
5 / 30 Fotos
The "Eagle" has landed - Apollo 11 mission commander Neil Armstrong pictured inside the lunar module after landing on the surface.
© Getty Images
6 / 30 Fotos
The second man on the moon - Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was the lunar module pilot, and followed Armstrong onto the moon.
© Reuters
7 / 30 Fotos
One small step... - A mounted slowscan TV camera showing Armstrong as he climbs down the ladder to the surface and into history.
© Public Domain
8 / 30 Fotos
Working on the moon - Neil Armstrong works at the lunar module in one of the few photos taken of him on the moon from the surface.
© Public Domain
9 / 30 Fotos
Patriot - Buzz Aldrin on the moon salutes the US flag.
© Public Domain
10 / 30 Fotos
A picture of the age - Buzz Aldrin poses on the Moon, allowing Neil Armstrong to photograph both of them using the visor's reflection.
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
Lunar experiments - Aldrin next to the Passive Seismic Experiment Package with Eagle in the background.
© Public Domain
12 / 30 Fotos
A long way from home - Earth rises above the moon's horizon during the Apollo 11 lunar mission.
© Getty Images
13 / 30 Fotos
Walking on the moon - The iconic image of Buzz Aldrin's bootprint embedded in the lunar surface.
© Public Domain
14 / 30 Fotos
Splashdown - On July 24, the command module Columbia splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Pictured, divers assist in retrieving the astronauts.
© Public Domain
15 / 30 Fotos
Potential biohazard
- The returning astronauts in their Biological Isolation Garments aboard the USS Hornet.
© Public Domain
16 / 30 Fotos
Presidential greeting - The crew of Apollo 11 in quarantine after returning to Earth are visited by US President Richard Nixon.
© Public Domain
17 / 30 Fotos
Homecoming - In August 1969, the three astronauts rode in ticker-tape parades through a number of US cities held to honor their accomplishment. They are pictured in New York.
© Getty Images
18 / 30 Fotos
Space medal of honor - Neil Armstrong receives the first Congressional Space Medal of Honor from US President Jimmy Carter in 1978. Subsequent Apollo mission astronauts Pete Conrad (left) and Frank Borman (second left) look on.
© Public Domain
19 / 30 Fotos
40th anniversary celebrations - President Barack Obama hosts Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong in the White House July 20, 2009.
© Getty Images
20 / 30 Fotos
Valuable souvenir - An Apollo 11 emblem, flown into lunar orbit and signed by Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin, sold for US$62,500 at the Space History Sale at Bonham's auction house in New York, 2014.
© Reuters
21 / 30 Fotos
Controversial sale - In 2017, a moon rock bag used by Neil Armstrong and laced with moon dust sold at auction for US$1 million, Smithsonian reported.
© Reuters
22 / 30 Fotos
Receiving the Congressional Gold Medal - Michael Collins deep in thought before he and his fellow crew members receive the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
© Getty Images
23 / 30 Fotos
The Congressional Gold Medal - The three Apollo astronauts and John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, were awarded the medals in 2011.
© Public Domain
24 / 30 Fotos
They did reach the moon! - In 2012, the Apollo 11 landing site was photographed from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The images finally put to bed rumors that the landing did not take place.
© Public Domain
25 / 30 Fotos
Neil Armstrong dies - Neil Armstrong died on August 25, 2012 from complications after heart surgery. His cremated remains were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean.
© Public Domain
26 / 30 Fotos
Historic exhibit - The Apollo 11 command module Columbia on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
© Getty Images
27 / 30 Fotos
The "Space Window"
- A tiny piece of moon rock is embedded in a stained glass window in Washington National Cathedral.
© Getty Images
28 / 30 Fotos
'First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong'
- Ryan Gosling starred in a film adaptation of 'First Man,' based on Neil Armstrong's official biography.
© Getty Images
29 / 30 Fotos
Moonshot memories: The eternal legacy of Apollo 11
Remembering the mission that put the first man on the moon
© Getty Images
On July 20, 1969, a momentous event took place. The Apollo 11 moon landing was one of the greatest moments not only in US history, but in human history. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people in history to step foot on the moon.
Click through the following gallery for a countdown of the events that put the first man on the moon, and the legacy of that historic space mission.
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