What would it be like to walk on the
moon for the first time?
No cities. No cars. No plants. No
light except for the sun.
Fifty years ago on July 20, 1969,
the first men walked on the moon.
They were part of the United States
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).
In 1961, when John F. Kennedy was
president, he set a goal for United
States to be the first country to have
a human on the moon by the end of
the decade. Richard M. Nixon was the
president when Kennedy's goal was
accomplished in 1969.
The astronauts aboard the Apollo 11
spacecraft that landed on the moon
were Neil Armstrong, Commander;
Michael Collins, command module
pilot; and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr.,
lunar module pilot.
Commander Neil Armstrong
became the first man to walk on the
moon. A camera in the Lunar Module
provided live television
coverage as he climbed down the
ladder to the surface of the moon and
said the historic words, "That's one
small step for a man, one giant leap
for mankind."
Twenty minutes later, Buzz Aldrin
also climbed down the ladder. The
two then planted a United States flag
on the surface of the moon.
About 600 million people around
the world watched the moon landing
on television.
Landing a manned spacecraft on the
moon and safely back home again
was important because it proved that
space exploration was possible.
Over the next few years, 10 more
astronauts would do a "moon walk."
The last mission to the moon was in
1972, but since then, humans have
continued exploring space and today
NASA is working on sending
humans to Mars. See more
about the moon landing
on page 32.
THE MAN ON THE MOON
The Apollo 11 crew from left to right: Neil Armstrong, Commander;
Michael Collins, command module pilot; and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr.,
lunar module pilot.
Buzz Aldrin with the U.S. flag planted on the moon.
18 • Off icialKidsMag.com JULY 2019
As.tro.naut – (noun) a person
who travels beyond the earth's
atmosphere; also : a trainee for
spaceflight.
By Karen Rice • Official Kids Mag
