From 1968 to 1972, astronauts in NASA's Apollo program pushed the limits of exploration into the final frontier as they strived to make a dream become a reality. As the fifth human space flight of the program, the Apollo 11 mission marks one of the greatest technological achievements of the 20th Century.

Launched on July 16, 1969, from Kennedy Space Center the Apollo spacecraft carried Mission Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. to moon’s surface. At 4:17 p.m. EST on July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 lunar module, the Eagle, landed on the moon. Six hours later, Astronaut Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon, shortly followed by Astronaut Aldrin.

Once on the lunar surface, the astronauts started to collect lunar samples and deploy several experiments, in addition to examining and photographing the environment. The two astronauts spent a total of 21 hours on the lunar surface. After their historic moon walk, they successfully docked with the Command Module Columbia, in which Astronaut Collins was orbiting the moon.

In the early morning hours of July 24, eight days, three hours, 18 minutes, and 18 seconds after leaving Kennedy Space Center, the Apollo 11 crew returned to earth.

With the success of the Apollo program, NASA delivered great progress in the fields of rocketry and aeronautics, as well as the fields of civil, mechanical and electrical engineering. Many products, including athletics shoes and flame-resistant textiles,were developed utilizing technologies NASA developed for the missions to the moon.