For thousands of years, people looked up at the Moon and wondered what it was like. In 1969, American astronauts went there!
Key idea
On July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon. Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon.
Why it works
The trip was called Apollo 11. A giant rocket, the Saturn V, carried three astronauts into space. Michael Collins flew around the Moon in their ship, Columbia, while Armstrong and Aldrin went down in a small lander called the Eagle. As he stepped onto the Moon, Armstrong said it was "one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." They planted a flag, collected Moon rocks and came safely home.
Common mistake
Some children think astronauts flew to the Moon in an airplane. Airplanes need air, and there is no air in space. The astronauts rode a huge rocket, and they landed in the Eagle.
For the grown-up: Thousands of people worked on Apollo: engineers, scientists, mathematicians and builders. Twelve astronauts walked on the Moon between 1969 and 1972. Look at the Moon together tonight.