15 Pics Show How Apollo 11 Created History 50 Years Ago, As Humans First Landed On The Moon

It is the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 mission which took the first humans ever and landing them on the surface of the moon.

The Apollo 11 mission and the moon landing is probably the single most significant test of human bravery and ingenuity which has ever taken place.

Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that launched two US nationals -- Commander Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin -- on their way to a historic moon landing.

Moon landing

Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin took off from earth on July 16 and landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on the surface of the moon four days later on July 20, 1969. Here are some images from the epic Apollo 11 mission, chronicling the journey of humanity's moon landing on July 20, 1969.

1. Apollo 11 launch

Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that first landed humans on the surface of the moon. Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16, 1959.

Reuters

2. Apollo 11 official crew

Official crew photo of the Apollo 11 Prime Crew consisting of astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin. These were the brave heroes responsible for the success of Apollo 11 mission and humanity's first moon landing.

Reuters

3. Apollo 11 crew on the way to launchpad

Apollo 11 Commander Neil A. Armstrong waves to well-wishers in the hallway of the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building as he and Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. prepare to be transported to Launch Complex 39A for the first manned lunar landing mission.

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4. Neil Armstrong standing on the moon's surface

As commander of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong took most of the photographs from the historic moonwalk, but this rare shot from fellow moonwalker Buzz Aldrin shows Armstrong at work near the lunar module Eagle. Neil Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface.

NASA

5. Extravehicular activity on the moon

An astronaut's boot and boot print in the lunar soil is pictured during the Apollo 11 lunar surface extravehicular activity.

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6. Boot print on the surface of the moon

A close-up view of astronaut Buzz Aldrin's boot print in the lunar soil, photographed with the 70mm lunar surface camera during Apollo 11's sojourn on the moon.

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7. Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon near the leg of the lunar module Eagle during the Apollo 11 mission. Mission commander Neil Armstrong took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera.

Reuters

8. Buzz Aldrin deploys Apollo 11 lunar experiments

Buzz Aldrin moves toward a position to deploy two components of the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.

Reuters

9. Just two humans on the moon

US astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands beside a solar wind experiment next to the Lunar Module spacecraft on the surface of the Moon after he and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first men to land on the Moon during the Apollo 11 space mission.

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10. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the Apollo 11 lunar module

Interior view of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module shows astronaut Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin during the lunar landing mission.

Reuters

11. Lunar module at Tranquility Base

This photograph of the Lunar Module at Tranquility Base was taken by Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission. Armstrong's shadow and the shadow of the camera are visible in the foreground.

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12. Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong smiling on the moon's surface

Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong inside the Lunar Module while the LM rested on the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Reuters

13. Earthrise above the moon

Earth rises above the moon's horizon during the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission in this July 1969 picture.

Reuters

14. Full moon photographed from Apollo 11 spacecraft

This outstanding view of the full moon was photographed from the Apollo 11 spacecraft during its trans-Earth journey homeward. When this picture was taken, the spacecraft was already 10,000 nautical miles away after a successful moon landing.

Reuters

15. President Nixon Greets the returning Apollo 11 Astronauts

The Apollo 11 astronauts, Commander Neil A. Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., inside the Mobile Quarantine Facility aboard the USS Hornet, listen to President Richard M. Nixon as he welcomes them back to Earth and congratulates them.

Reuters

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