Today in History: Neil Armstrong's Historic Moon Landing
On this day, the 6th of Av, 50 years ago, a monumental event took place as Apollo 11 successfully landed the first humans on the moon.
(Illustrative photo: shutterstock)In July 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft was launched into space aboard the Saturn V rocket, marking the sixth mission of the United States' Apollo program. Apollo 11 represented the culmination of the project with the first human lunar landing. Aboard the spacecraft were three astronauts: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin.
Prior to landing, the mission encountered various technical issues, and even after resolving them, the astronauts faced challenges in finding a suitable landing site. Nevertheless, Apollo 11 successfully landed on the moon.
Neil Armstrong was the first to exit the spacecraft and step onto the lunar surface, proclaiming his famous words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
The moon landing was a pinnacle achievement in the space project and also marked the end of the "space race" between the United States and the Soviet Union. Interestingly, while the astronauts were on the moon, the Soviet lunar spacecraft "Luna" crashed approximately 1,200 km from Apollo 11's landing site.
The astronauts collected lunar soil samples and placed several commemorative plaques. They then returned to the spacecraft and safely journeyed back to Earth.
