NASA's Historic Apollo 11 Moon Landing in Pictures

Apollo 11 Moon Landing

Astronaut Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, is beside the U.S. flag during an Apollo 11 moon walk. The Lunar Module (LM) is on the left, and the footprints of the astronauts are clearly visible in the soil of the moon. Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, took this picture with a 70mm Hasselblad lunar surface camera.

One Small Step for Man …

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Armstrong is pictured here, shortly after collecting a sample of lunar dust and rocks. At his feet is the handle for the sample collection tool.

First Footprints on the Moon

Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin photographed this iconic photo, a view of his footprint in the lunar soil, as part of an experiment to study the nature of lunar dust and the effects of pressure on the surface during the historic first manned moon landing in July 1969.

Earth Seen During Apollo 11 Mission

Destination Moon. Space tourists are guaranteed a window view like no other from a lunar distance. Shown here is photo from Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

President Nixon Calls Apollo 11 Astronauts

Composite photo of President Richard M. Nixon as he telephoned "Tranquility Base" and astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin after their historic Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969.

Apollo 11 Mission Officials After Apollo 11 Liftoff

Apollo 11 mission officials relax in the Launch Control Center following the successful Apollo 11 liftoff on July 16, 1969. Second from left (with binoculars) stands Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Dr. Wernher von Braun Following Apollo 11 Launch

Dr. Wernher von Braun, director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, relaxes after the successful launch of Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin Jr. Their historic lunar landing mission began at 9:32 a.m. EDT, July 16, 1969, when an Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle lifted off from the spaceport's Launch Complex 39A.

Apollo 11 Mission Polaroid Image

Slow-scan Polaroid taken at Goldstone tracking station reveals far more detail than publicly broadcast TV during Apollo 11 moonwalk. Search is underway to locate old Apollo tapes and freshen them up with new digital technologies.

Neil Armstrong on the Moon

Apollo 11 astronauts trained on Earth to take individual photographs in succession in order to create a series of frames that could be assembled into panoramic images. This frame from Aldrin's panorama of the Apollo 11 landing site is the only good picture of mission commander Neil Armstrong on the lunar surface.

Nixon Welcomes Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 Crew

President Richard M. Nixon was in the central Pacific recovery area to welcome the Apollo 11 astronauts aboard the USS Hornet, prime recovery ship for the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Already confined to the Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF) are (left to right) Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, command module pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot. Apollo 11 splashed down at 11:49 a.m. (CDT), July 24, 1969, about 812 nautical miles southwest of Hawaii and only 12 nautical miles from the USS Hornet.