On July 20, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong opened the hatch of the Lunar Module Eagle and looked out at the desolate landscape outside. Sticking strictly to procedure, he soon turned around to get into position for the careful descent down a ladder mounted to one of the lander’s legs.

As over half a billion people from all over the world watched and listened on television sets, Armstrong communicated with Mission Control back on Earth about his actions, and his impressions of the Moon’s surface as he descended the ladder. At the bottom rung he paused, composed himself and uttered a phrase that immediately inspired all who looked on and took pride in what Neil Armstrong’s first step on the Moon’s surface meant as a human accomplishment:

“That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

While the Americans had beat the Soviets in the race to put a man on the Moon, that first step on the powdery lunar surface was something that the whole world began to take pride in.

Apollo 11 crew members Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong spent a total of two and a half hours exploring the lunar surface in the Sea of Tranquility before closing up the Lunar Module and blasting off back into lunar orbit to rendezvous with the Command and Service Module Columbia and return to Earth. Over the next three years, the U.S. would send six more missions to the Moon to explore, collect rock samples and other data, and place experiments on its surface.

In putting a man on the Moon, the United States had accomplished the goal set forth by President John F. Kennedy only a few years before. The incredible accomplishment, made possible by the contributions of thousands of people, is even more astounding with the passage of time. Join The Museum of Flight in commemorating this legendary event.

JULY 1-SEPTEMBER 7, 2009
Apollo 11: An Artist’s Perspective - Original Sketches from NASA Artist Paul Calle.
The exhibit will be on display in the Museum of Flight’s exhibit Space: Exploring the New Frontier.

JULY 18-19, 2009 | 11:15am and 1:15pm
Bank of America Weekend Family Workshop: Apollo Program - Splashdown!
Make your own Apollo capsule and other activities.

JULY 18-25 | 11am and 1pm (except July 19, 11am and 2pm)
Tip-to-Tail Tours
Join a Museum docent to learn all about Apollo artifacts.

JULY 20, 2009 | 11am
The Apollo Legacy: The Moon and Beyond
NASA broadcast from the Newseum with Apollo astronauts. | William M. Allen Theater

JULY 23-25, 2009 | 10am to 5pm
NASA “Vision for Space Exploration” Mobile Exhibit
Journey to the Moon and Mars in a 3-D simulation. | Airpark

JULY 24-25, 2009 | 2pm
NASA’s Theodore Ro: Vision for Space Exploration Lecture
Join a NASA scientist to learn of our plans for future space missions. | William M. Allen Theater

AUGUST 29, 2009 | 2pm
Paul Calle and the Art of Apollo 11
Hear what it was like to be there for the launch and meet the artist. | William M. Allen Theater