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
Return of Apollo 15 to Earth Return of Apollo 15 to Earth After the Apollo 15 Lunar Module "Falcon" lifted from the lunar surface on August 2, 1971, it rendezvoused and docked with the Command/Service Module "Endeavour". After transferring across the lunar samples and other equipment, "Falcon" was jettisoned. It would fire its rocket engine to cause it to impact the lunar surface. "Apollo 15" spent one more day in lunar orbit, continuing Worden's observations. After releasing a subsatellite, they ignited their Service Propulsion system to put them on a trajectory back to Earth. The next day, Worden performed an EVA to retrieve the film cassettes