Apollo 11 Apollo 11 Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first two people on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin, both American, landed the lunar module "Eagle" on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours after landing on July 21 at 02:56:15 UTC; Aldrin joined him about 20 minutes later. They spent about two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft, and collected of lunar material to bring back to Earth. Command Module Pilot Michael Collins piloted the command module "Columbia" alone
Apollo 11 countries and included visits with prominent leaders such as Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Many nations honored the first human Moon landing with special features in magazines or by issuing Apollo 11 commemorative postage stamps or coins. On September 16, 1969, the three astronauts spoke before a joint session of Congress. They presented two US flags, one to the House of Representatives and the other to the Senate, that had been carried to the surface of the Moon with them. The flag of American Samoa which was taken to the Moon by Apollo 11 is on display at