A Day in Astronomy: “The Eagle Has Landed”

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s boot print on the surface of the Moon. (US National Archives)

On this day in 1969, the statement “The Eagle has landed” changed the history of mankind as humans arrived on the surface of the Moon.

Spoken by Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the “Eagle” referred to the Lunar Module Eagle as it touched down on the Moon’s Sea of Tranquility. Four hours later, and almost 110 hours after being launched from Earth, Armstrong stepped onto the Moon, stating “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The crew on Apollo 11 consisted of Neil Armstrong (Commander), Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. (Lunar Module Pilot), and Michael Collins (Command Module Pilot).

You can watch a video of the Apollo 11 landing here and read about the mission itself here.

Credit: NASA