Apollo 11 astronauts leave for launch pad, July 1969. Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins (left, born 1930) and mission commander Neil Armstrong (right, 1930-2012) walking in their flight suits to be transported to the launch pad. The launch of the three-man crew (including Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin) took place at 09:32 local time (13:32 UTC). NASA's Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, which took place from 16-24 July 1969, was the first landing by humans on the Moon. Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the surface in the Lunar Module, while Collins remained in orbit in the Command Module. Photographed on 16 July 1969, at the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building (MSOB) at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. |