TIME

Moon Landing

Buzz Aldrin standing on the lunar surface in a white spacesuit, Neil Armstrong reflected in his visor.

Recorded HistoryMoon Landing

One giant leap for mankind.

On 20 July 1969 Apollo 11 became the first crewed mission to land on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent about two and a half hours on the surface.

Armstrong took this photograph, and he is reflected in Aldrin’s visor. Twelve people walked on the Moon before Apollo ended.

20 July 1969, placed on the scale of its era on a line leading toward now.

Era
Recorded History
Period
20 July 1969
Edition
1/1
Status
Not Released
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Background artwork

Cinematic background showing a lunar module on the Moon with the Earth in the sky. An illustration generated with an AI image tool for TIME. It is an artistic depiction, not a photograph or a record of the moment. The lander is a simplified rendering.