Moon Missions: Apollo 11
On the Moon
Neil Armstrong (1930–2012), commander of NASA's Apollo 11 mission, descends the ladder of the Apollo Lunar Module (or Lunar Excursion Module, LEM) to become the first human to set foot on the surface of the moon.
Armstrong and Aldrin spent 2.5 hours outside the Lunar Module, collecting 21.5 kg (47.5 lbs) of lunar samples. They erected an American flag, received a call of congratulations from President Nixon, and inspected their Lunar Module, Eagle. They set up a seismometer to measure moonquakes and a laser ranging retro reflector which would be used to determine the distance from the Earth to the moon accurately. Laser beam pulses sent from large telescopes on Earth would be timed as they hit the reflector and were detected when they returned.
Apollo 11 Landing Site Map showing the path travelled by the astronauts on the lunar surface.
Buzz Aldrin stands near the seismometer he deployed during the Apollo 11 moonwalk.
Aldrin bootprint; part of an experiment to test the properties of the lunar regolith.