'The eagle has landed,' 53 years ago humans landed on the moon
(CBSDFW.COM) - Fifty-three years ago on this day, July 20, the Apollo 11 crew successfully completed the national goal set by President John F. Kennedy eight years prior: landing humans on the Moon and bringing them safely back to Earth.
Six of the missions (Apollos 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17) achieved this goal.
Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin into an initial Earth-orbit of 114 by 116 miles.
Collins stayed behind aboard the Apollo 11 command module while crewmates Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the moon and walked into history. He died from cancer in 2021 at the age of 90.
Armstrong died at age 82 on August 25, 2012, several weeks after undergoing heart surgery.
Now 92, Aldrin, who spent 21 hours, 36 minutes on the moon's surface alongside Armstrong, celebrated the anniversary of the historic landing, sharing how he felt on Facebook.
"July 20, 1969, the world witnessed one of the singular most important achievements in history - humans walking on the moon. Neil, Michael and I were proud to represent America as we took those giant leaps for mankind. It was a brilliant moment for the world and one of America's finest hours."
Additional flight objectives included scientific exploration by the lunar module, deployment of a television camera to transmit signals to Earth; and deployment of a solar wind composition experiment, seismic experiment package and a Laser Ranging Retroreflector, according to NASA.
During the exploration, the two astronauts were to gather samples of lunar-surface materials for return to Earth.
Astronauts were tasked with extensively photographing the lunar terrain, the deployed scientific equipment, the LM spacecraft, and each other, both with still and motion picture cameras.
An estimated 650 million people watched Armstrong's televised image broadcast from space and heard his voice describe the event as he took "...one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
According to NASA, it was supposed to be the last Apollo mission to fly a "free-return" trajectory, which would enable a return to Earth with no engine firing, providing a ready abort of the mission at any time prior to lunar orbit insertion.
The mission was a resounding success, the first of six lunar landings signaling the end of the Cold War space race.
