It was 1961. John F. Kennedy was the president of the United States. He wanted to land humans on the moon. By 1969, people wondered if NASA was ready to go to the moon. President Nixon and NASA knew they could do it. Apollo 11’s mission was to land two men on the moon. They also had to come back to Earth safely.

Apollo 11 blasted off on July 16, 1969 with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins on board. 

Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon in the Lunar Module called the Eagle. Collins stayed in orbit around the moon. He did experiments and took pictures. 

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on the moon. He and Aldrin walked around for three hours. They did experiments. They picked up bits of moon dirt and rocks. They put a U.S. flag on the moon. They also left a sign on the moon that says, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.” 

The two astronauts returned to orbit, joining Collins. On July 24, 1969, all three astronauts came back to Earth safely. 

It took less than 10 years for President Kennedy’s wish to come true – humans had finally walked on the moon.