Who was the first man on the moon? Inside the historic landing over 50 years ago.

The moon landing was a pivotal moment in space exploration.

Still, this well-established historical fact continues to be the subject of debunked conspiracy theories that the moon landing never happened.

Luckily, doubters will have the chance to see another in the coming years – President Joe Biden announced in April that a Japanese astronaut will accompany NASA astronauts to the moon for the upcoming Artemis mission. This expedition will mark the first time a non-American astronaut has walked on the moon. 

Who was the first man on the moon?

Astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person on the moon. 

More than half a billion people watched Armstrong take his first step on the moon on TV, according to NASA. At 10:56 p.m. on July 20, 1969, Armstrong climbed down the ladder, planted a foot and uttered the famous words “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Fellow astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin was the second person on the moon, following Armstrong a few minutes later. Aldrin radioed back to Houston, declaring the sight a “magnificent desolation,” according to the History Channel. 

The pair later planted an American flag, which was designed to look like it was waving in the moon’s airless environment.

Who has walked on the moon?

Twelve people have walked on the moon – all American. In total, 24 astronauts traveled from the Earth to the moon between 1968 and 1972 in a series of Apollo space expeditions.

• Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11)
• Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11)
• Charles “Pete” Conrad (Apollo 12)
• Alan Bean (Apollo 12)
• Alan B. Shepard Jr. (Apollo 14)
• Edgar D. Mitchell (Apollo 14)
• David R. Scott (Apollo 15)
• James B. Irwin (Apollo 15)
• John W. Young (Apollo 16)
• Charles M. Duke (Apollo 16)
• Eugene Cernan (Apollo 17)
• Harrison H. Schmitt (Apollo 17)

Four other nations have successfully landed on the moon – the USSR, India, China and, most recently, Japan.

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When was the landing on the moon?

The moon landing was on July 20, 1969. The Apollo 11 mission took off from the Kennedy Space Center on the morning of July 16.

Armstrong, Aldrin and Michael Collins, the command module pilot, made the Apollo 11 crew. The mission from then-President John F. Kennedy was clear – complete a lunar landing and return to Earth. Once there, the crew was to deploy scientific equipment and a camera to transmit signals to Earth. Armstrong and Aldrin spent over 21 hours on the moon’s surface collecting rocks and taking photographs. 

How long did it take to get to the moon?

It took the crew about three days to travel the 250,000 miles from the Earth to the moon. They returned to Earth on July 24, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean about a dozen miles from their recovery ship.

Is Neil Armstrong still alive?

No – Aldrin is the only living crew member from Apollo 11. He turned 94 in January. 

Armstrong died on Aug. 25, 2012 at age 82, due to complications from heart bypass surgery. After the moon landing, he took on the role of deputy associate administrator for Aeronautics at NASA Headquarters before becoming an engineering professor at the University of Cincinnati and serving on various boards. He also served on the National Commission on Space from 1985 to 1986. 

Collins died on April 28, 2021. He was 90.

"As pilot of the Apollo 11 command module – some called (Collins) ‘the loneliest man in history’ – while his colleagues walked on the Moon for the first time, he helped our nation achieve a defining milestone,” said acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk in a 2021 release after Collins’ death.

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