The primary goal of the Apollo 11 mission was to land on the moon and collect rock samples for analysis. On July 19, the command module successfully entered orbit around the moon and the lunar module was launched on July 21, landing successfully on the moon's surface in the "sea of tranquility". Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the lunar surface, saying the famous quote, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." A flag was planted along with some other equipment, photographs were taken, and 21.7kg of the rock and soil was secured.
After 21 hours on the moon, Aldrin and Armstrong launched from the surface in the lunar module, docking with the command module in orbit around the moon. The command module successfully reentered the earth's atmosphere and splashed down on July 24th, making the crew international heroes. Apollo 11 remains one of the most important space missions in history.
Sound Clips (mp3):
Eagle has Landed
One Small Step
