Today, July 20, is a very important day in world history. Exactly 53 years ago, NASA’s Apollo 11 spacecraft, along with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, landed on the Moon and became the first time a man set foot on our natural satellite.

The Eagle lander landed at 5:17 pm ET on July 20, 1969, and six hours later Armstrong set foot on lunar soil. Also on this day, one of the most iconic and memorable phrases was “born” when we talk about a man who set foot on the moon: “This is one small step for a person, one giant leap for humanity.”

As Acting U.S. Space Agency Chief Historian Brian Odom recalls, the reaction to the space event was huge both in the United States and around the world. He says that “as soon as the astronauts returned home, they instantly became celebrities, as the landing was considered one of the greatest achievements of mankind.”

This event is one of the greatest milestones of the 20th century, the period when the United States and the Soviet Union tried to overtake each other in the so-called space race. Odom adds that it was an “extended defeat” for the Soviets, given the tense polarization of the world during the Cold War.

On the other hand, this first mission increased North American attention to its space program and influenced the scientific community worldwide. In 1972, President Richard Nixon had already announced that NASA would develop a space transportation system with a vehicle capable of moving “repeatedly from Earth to orbit and vice versa.”

Half a century after that first step, NASA is still determined to send a new crew to our satellite. With the help of the Artemis Human Landing System and its state-of-the-art spacesuits, a new mission is planned for 2026. “We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon,” explains Odom. This will also be the moment when the first woman and the first person of color will go to the moon.

Via: AA

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