“Giant Leap”: Apollo 11 reached the Moon’s orbit 56 years ago today!

Apollo 11 is the world’s first mission where a crewed spacecraft reached the Moon’s surface

The mission was a part of the United States of America’s efforts to win the space war against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

The crew of this mission was comprised of Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin, and Lunar Module Pilot Michael Collins

The launch of the spacecraft, the Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle, began its ascent to the moon from the Kennedy Space Centre on July 16, 1959

Following one and a half orbits around the Earth, the Saturn V finally reached the Moon’s orbit on July 19

The next day, the crew would begin lunar descent through the Lunar Module Eagle (LM-5)

On the same day, the astronauts landed on the designated landing site, termed Tranquillity Base

During their “moon walk”, Armstrong and Aldrin took photographs of the Moon’s surface, collected rock samples, and deployed the “Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package” or EASEP

While stepping onto the surface of the Moon, Neil Armstrong, Commander of the mission, uttered the defining statement: "One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind."