50 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST MAN ON THE MOON

Conquering the moon was one of man’s oldest dreams, from Lucian to Jules Verne. On 20 July 1969, the United States space mission Apollo 11 is crowned with success, achieving the goal set by President Kennedy in 1961. The lunar module Eagle, with Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin aboard, lands on the moon, while Michael Collins remains in orbit on command module Columbia. Armstrong is the first to step out onto the lunar surface, taking “one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind”, as he famously uttered. The astronauts collected lunar material and planted the American flag and a plaque that read “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind”. The three astronauts returned to Earth on 24 July 1969.