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
NASA space-flown Gemini and Apollo medallions two to three months prior to the scheduled mission, though it is unclear whether serial numbers were added pre or post-flight. The medallions were stored in the Command Service Module during flight and on missions involving a lunar landing, a small number were brought to the lunar surface aboard the Lunar Module. The flown medallions were returned to the Robbins Company after the flight to have the dates engraved and for a final polishing. Except where noted, all medallions struck for Apollo 7–14 were flown, and serial numbers for Apollo 14–17 medallions appear on the rim. Apollo Robbins medallions were