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Monday marks the 40th anniversary of the July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 moon landing by American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. (See related article.)

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy spoke before a joint session of Congress in Washington. During the address, Kennedy issued the challenge, “. . .I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” (Associated Press)

The three Apollo 11 astronauts next to their spacecraft in 1969, from left to right: Col. Edwin E. Aldrin, lunar module pilot; Neil Armstrong, flight commander; and Lt. Michael Collins, command module pilot. (Associated Press)


Rocco Petrone, director of launch operations at the space complex in Cape Kennedy, Fla., pointed out the spot on the moon the Apollo 11 astronauts were aiming for on July 12, 1969. Eight days later, Lunar Module “Eagle” touched down gently on the Sea of Tranquility on the east side of the moon. (Associated Press)

The S-1C booster for the Apollo 11 Saturn V was erected atop its mobile launcher at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (NASA)

Technicians made the final adjustments to Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit as he prepared to take part in a test. (NASA)

The Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle at twilight before launch, July 16, 1969. (Getty Images)

The Apollo 11 flight crew were given instructions by technicians and management while undergoing training in preparation for the first manned landing on the Moon. (NASA)

Two members of the Apollo 11 crew, along with a technician, crossed the access walkway on their way to board the mission’s command module, Cape Canaveral (then known as Cape Kennedy), Florida, July 16, 1969. (Getty Images)

Personnel within the Launch Control Center watched the Apollo 11 lift off from Launch Complex 39A. The LCC is located 3.5 miles from the launch pad. (NASA)

Swing arms moved away and a plume of flame signaled the liftoff of the Apollo 11. (NASA)

Mr. Aldrin on the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, during which he became the second man to set foot on the moon. (Getty Images)

A television screen grab showed the members of mission control waving flags and celebrating the splashdown and return of the Apollo 11 crew in Texas in July 1969.
(CBS/Getty Images)

The Apollo Command/Service Module stationed over the moon’s surface during the Apollo 11 mission, 20th July 1969. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

TV news anchor Walter Cronkite kept his eyes on his monitor as NASA’s Apollo 11 mission touched down on the moon on July 20, 1969. (CBS/Getty Images)

A photograph of a television screen showed the astronauts on the moon. (CBS/Getty Images)

A footprint left by one of the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission showed in the soft, powder surface of the moon. (Associated Press)

Astronaut Aldrin stood near a leg of the lunar module on the surface of the moon. (NASA)

An unidentified Japanese family watched their TV screen as President Richard Nixon’s image was superimposed on a live TV broadcast of the Apollo 11 astronauts salute from the Moon. (Associated Press)

Mr. Aldrin faced the camera as he walked on the moon. (Reuters)


After splashdown of the capsule, a Navy para-rescue man and one of the three astronauts closed the spacecraft hatch as the other astronauts watched from the life raft at the completion of their successful mission. The space pilots donned biological isolation garments in their spacecraft. (NASA)

Then-U.S. President Richard Nixon applauded the Apollo 11 astronauts, who were confined in a quarantine trailer. (Getty Images)

A commemorative button for the Apollo 11 moon landing showed the mission’s crew; from left, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin. (Getty Images)

New York City welcomed the Apollo 11 crew members in a showering of ticker tape down Broadway and Park Avenue on Aug. 13, 1969. The parade was termed the largest in the city’s history. Pictured in the lead car, from the left, are astronauts Aldrin, Collins and Armstrong. (Getty Images)

An image of the earth rise was taken during a lunar orbit by the Apollo 11 mission crew in July 1969. (Getty Images)