ON THIS DAY IN UNITED STATES HISTORY
July 16, 1969
The First Manned Space Mission
to Land on the Moon Launches
On this day in 1969, the first manned space mission to land on the moon begins with the launch of the Apollo 11,
spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center
The astronauts on the mission were Commander Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Eldrin, Jr. Each of
these men had made previous space flights which make this the first to include all veteran pilots.
The success of the Apollo 11 mission fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's goal of reaching the moon by the end of
the 1960's. A goal he set on May 25, 1961.
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