The National Moon Day is celebrated every year in the United States on July 20. The National Moon Day is celebrated to commemorate the day when the first manned mission landed on the surface of the Moon on this day in 1969. Neil Armstrong, the commander of the mission, became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours and 39 minutes later on July 21 at 02:56 UTC. Buzz Aldrin was the pilot of the Apollo Lunar Module "Eagle". Aldrin landed on the Moon's surfaces 19 minutes after Armstrong.

When Armstrong stepped on the surfaces of the Moon, he said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The United States' Apollo 11 was the first crewed mission to land on the Moon, on July 20, 1969. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had described the moon landing as "the single greatest technological achievement of all time." Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16 at 13:32 UTC. National Moon Day 2019: What the is Day About and Why It's Celebrated.

Armstrong and Aldrin had spent two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft, and they collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar material to bring back to Earth. The US astronauts spent 21 hours, 36 minutes on the lunar surface at a site they named Tranquility Base.

They were then lifted off to join Command Module Columbia in Lunar orbit. Michael Collins flew the Command Module Columbia alone in lunar orbit. Millions of Americans watched the historic moment on TV. The United States is the only country to have successfully conducted crewed missions to the Moon, with the last departing the lunar surface in December 1972.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 20, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).