Did you know there's a historic anniversary coming up this month? 50 years ago - on July 20, 1969 - Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Minutes later, Buzz Aldrin joined him. Armstrong’s line “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” remains one of the most iconic statements in history.
History of the Moon Landing
The seeds of the “moon shot” began in the late 1950s. In 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower established the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1. This led to the formation of Project Mercury, the first American program aimed at launching humans into space. The astronauts in that program included: Alan Shepard (first American in space), John Glenn (first American to orbit the earth), Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Walter Schirra, and Donald “Deke” Slayton.
Then in 1961, President John F. Kennedy launched a grand idea that the 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 earth.”
Eight years later, on July 16, Apollo 11 took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins on board. On July 20, the lunar module known as the “Eagle” landed on the moon.
It’s amazing to think that 50 years have gone by. The occasion will be marked with a series of anniversary celebrations at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, NASA Space Center in Houston, Texas, and other cities across the country. Maybe you’ll get a chance to catch one of the events!
Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. Her latest book, SECOND CHANCE HERO, is available now.
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