National Moon Day is celebrated every year on July 20 to commemorate the first day when man first walked on the moon. The feat was first achieved on this day in 1969. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had called moon landing as “the single greatest technological achievement of all time.” July 20 is also celebrated as man's first landing on the Moon after Lunar Module "Eagle" touched down on the east side of the Moon.

It was on July 20, 1969, that the first humans to visit moon were carried by Apollo 11. And July 20 also marks the historic first steps taken by American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin after they “stepped foot on the moon.” The astronauts were out of the spacecraft for a total of two and a half hours.

Both the Americans together carried a total of 47.5 pounds of lunar material, reported NASA. Apollo 11 also carried the specimens which were brought back from moon and analysed and studied.

The pilot who took the Americans for the historic project was Michael Collins. He waited alone in orbit till Armstrong and Aldrin returned from their triumph.

Millions of Americans watched the historic moment on TV with waited breath. What was happening on moon was being telecast live for the Americans. Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of moon and the famous lines “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind…” was made and achieved.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 20, 2019 08:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).