Apollo 11

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon on 20 July 1969, and Armstrong stepped out first. Michael Collins stayed in orbit.

Context

Apollo 11 launched on 16 July 1969. On 20 July the lunar module Eagle, carrying Armstrong and Aldrin, touched down in the Sea of Tranquility while Michael Collins kept the command module Columbia in orbit. Armstrong stepped onto the surface late in the evening of 20 July in US time, which was already 21 July in Universal Time, so the date depends on the time zone used.

The two astronauts spent a little over two hours outside the lunar module, planting a flag, setting up scientific instruments and collecting rock and soil samples, in all about 21 kilograms of material. They stayed on the Moon for roughly 21 hours before lifting off to rejoin Collins.

The crew returned to Earth and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on 24 July. Because the landing was televised around the world, it was one of the most widely watched events of its time. Eleven other astronauts followed on later Apollo flights, but Armstrong and Aldrin remain the first two people on the Moon.Dates quoted in news and history books usually follow US Central or Eastern time, while mission records often use Universal Time, which explains the apparent mismatch.