Title: 1969 - Moon Landing

 

About: The USA took a lead in the Space Race when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin become the first humans ever to land on the moon.

 

The Space Race had been going on ever since the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellites in 1957. The US was determined to win the race to land humans on the moon, and NASA committed huge amounts of resources to what became known as the Apollo programme. 

 

Three astronauts were chosen for the Apollo 11 mission: Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins. A powerful rocket - the Saturn V - carried the Apollo command and service module and the attached lunar module that was to touch down on the Moon.

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During the Apollo 11 mission things were tense. There were communications issues with ground control, and an alarm message sounded on the computer which the crew had never heard before. The lunar module also ended up touching down away from the original target area.

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Despite these problems, on 20 July - nearly 110 hours after leaving Earth, Neil Armstrong became the first person to step on to the surface of the Moon. He was followed 20 minutes later by Buzz Aldrin. Armstrong's words, beamed to the world by TV, entered history: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

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Between them, the two men spent more than two hours outside the lunar module, collecting samples from the surface, taking pictures, and setting up a number of scientific experiments. After completing their Moon exploration, the pair successfully docked with the command and service module.

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The return journey to Earth began and the crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on 24 July. An estimated 650 million people worldwide had watched the first Moon landing. For the US, the achievement helped demonstrate its power to a world audience. 

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Decade: 1960s

Year: 1969

Region: Space

Country: USA

Discovery: Exploration

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Type: Historical Event

Impact: 10

Artist: Yulia Kozlova

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Group: Genesis

Number: 69/100

Price: 1 ETH

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