Apollo 11 Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the United States. The bill was sponsored by Florida Senator Bill Nelson and Florida Representative Alan Grayson. A group of British scientists interviewed as part of the anniversary events reflected on the significance of the Moon landing: 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
Apollo 12 Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia. In 2002, astronomers thought they might have discovered another moon orbiting Earth, which they designated J002E3, that turned out to be the S-IVB third stage of the Apollo 12 Saturn V rocket. The lunar module "Intrepid" impacted the Moon November 20, 1969 at 22:17:17.7 UT (5:17 PM EST) . In 2009, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) photographed the Apollo 12 landing site. The "Intrepid" lunar module descent stage, experiment package (ALSEP), "Surveyor 3" spacecraft, and astronaut footpaths are all visible. In 2011, the LRO returned to the landing site at a lower