Who was the first person on the Moon?
First person on the Moon
One of the greatest adventures in history took place on July 20, 1969. A human being visited Earth’s closest neighbour in space. After a voyage of almost 386,000 kilometres across space, American astronaut Neil A. Armstrong became the first person to set foot and walk on the moon.
Four days earlier, the spacecraft Apollo 11 had been launched. On board were Michael Collins, the pilot, and two astronauts, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., and Neil Armstrong.
On July 20, Apollo 11 reached the moon and circled it in orbit. Armstrong and Aldrin entered the lunar module section of the spacecraft, called the Eagle, and separated it from Apollo 11. A blast of the Eagle’s engine sent it speeding down towards the moon’s surface.
There is no air on the moon, so the Eagle could not fly down like an aeroplane. It had to fall, at a speed of more than 3 kilometres per minute. Bursts from the engine slowed it down enough so that it landed gently. Apollo 11, with Collins on board, continued orbiting the moon.
That evening, Armstrong radioed to Earth, “The Eagle has landed.” Armstrong descended the ladder first. As he set foot on the moon, he said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” After collecting rocks and soil samples, the two men rocketed part of the Eagle back up to Apollo 11.
Picture Credit : Google