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On July 21, 1969, history was made when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took man’s first steps on the Moon. Their achievement was over a decade in the making and the result of the combined efforts of over 400,000 scientists.
The Moon landing was fueled by the Space Race, which began in 1957 when the Soviets launched the first artificial satellite. The US and USSR spent several years working to out-do each other. Then in 1961, President John F. Kennedy set the goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the decade.
Thousands of American scientists joined together to achieve Kennedy’s goal. And millions watched anxiously on July 16, 1969, as the Saturn V rocket launched into space. Four days later, the Eagle landing module separated from the Columbia command module and began its descent. As the Eagle approached the lunar surface, the astronauts realized they were traveling faster than expected and would land miles beyond their target. Armstrong took control of the module and landed it with just enough fuel for the return trip.
Hours later, Armstrong took his famous first steps out of the module, stating “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” The Apollo 11 crew and NASA’s scientists had made history, won the Space Race, and ushered in a new era of space exploration.