July 20, 1969. I remember that day, 55 years ago. I remember that moment, those words.
“Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed.” Apollo 11 Mission Commander Neil Armstrong’s iconic statement was beamed from the moon to Earth as global excitement erupted.
But those last few moments of descent hadn’t been easy. Five minutes into the burn and still 6,000 feet above the surface of the moon, the lunar module guidance computer set off the first of several technical alarms. Armstrong manually overrode the computer’s autopilot and guided the lunar module to a safe spot free of boulders in the Sea of Tranquility with just 25 seconds of descent fuel left.
Six hours and 39 minutes later, he stepped cautiously down the nine-rung ladder. “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” Following him shortly was lunar module pilot Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin. Above them, circling the moon was Astronaut Michael Collins piloting the command module. The mission was a brilliant success and the astronauts returned safely to Earth with 47.5 pounds of lunar surface material.
But they returned with much more than lunar rock. For the first time, ever, humans had left the confines of Earth to stand on another planetary body. Their journey was a collective surreal global experience that fulfilled ancient dreams and changed everything about our fascination with the stars.