Apollo 11 Facts: The First Moon Landing
This post was first published on July 20, 2016, the 47th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin landed the lunar module Eagle on the Moon while Michael Collins stayed in orbit aboard the command module Columbia. Armstrong and Aldrin spent about 22 hours on the surface before rejoining Collins for the trip home.
A few facts from the mission
The first words after touchdown were not "The Eagle has landed." Aldrin called out "Contact light" when probes under the landing pads touched the surface. After shutdown steps, Armstrong radioed, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."
The famous line has a missing word. Armstrong said he meant to say "one small step for a man." The "a" is hard to hear on the recording, and NASA prints the line with the "a" added in brackets.
The flag did not stay up. Aldrin saw the flag blown over by exhaust when the ascent stage lifted off. Images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show flags still standing at several later Apollo sites, but not at Apollo 11.
The crew honored lost astronauts and cosmonauts. They left an Apollo 1 patch, medals honoring Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Komarov, and a small disc carrying goodwill messages from world leaders.
Aldrin took communion on the Moon. During a rest period before the moonwalk, he took communion privately with elements from his church in Texas.
A speech was ready in case of disaster. Speechwriter William Safire prepared a statement for President Nixon to read if the astronauts could not return. It was never needed.
The mission ran a little long. From launch on July 16 to splashdown in the Pacific on July 24, Apollo 11 lasted 195 hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds, about 36 minutes longer than planned.
Ten more astronauts walked on the Moon on later Apollo missions. The last, Apollo 17, left the surface in December 1972.
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Sources
NASA. Apollo 11 mission page. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
NASA. Apollo 11 Mission Overview (mission duration and splashdown). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team, 2012 findings on the Apollo flags, as reported by Space.com: Apollo Moon Landing Flags Still Standing, Photos Reveal.
National Archives, DocsTeach. Memorandum from Speechwriter William Safire to President Nixon.
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Webster Presbyterian Church accounts of Aldrin's lunar communion (summarized via The Gospel Coalition).
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Updated October 2026.