One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind!

Those of us who are old enough to remember this historic day can tell you exactly what they were doing. I was 18 and on my way to the stock car races in Kasson with friends and we heard the men had walked on the moon earlier in the day.

Apollo 11 crew from left to right: Neil Armstrong, Commander; Michael Collins, command module pilot; and , Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot.

On July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon. He said the historic words, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." A camera in the Lunar Module provided live television coverage as Neil Armstrong climbed down the ladder to the surface of the moon.

To walk on the moon's surface, the astronauts needed to wear a space suit with a back mounted, portable life support system. This controlled the oxygen, temperature and pressure inside the suit. On the surface, the astronauts had to get used to the reduced gravity. They could jump very high compared to on Earth. The crew spend a total of two and a half hours on the moon's surface. While on the moon's surface, the performed a variety of experiments and collected soil and rock samples to return to Earth.

An American flag was left on the moon's surface as a reminder of the accomplishment.