"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." 40 years ago today, Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong spoke those historic words as he stepped onto the moon's surface for the first time. The event was the culmination of more than a decade's worth of work initiated by U.S. President, John F. Kennedy. He had challenged and rallied the U.S. population to become the first nation to land a man on the moon. On July 16, the Saturn V rocket with Apollo 11 perched atop it launched from the Cape Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Four days later, the lunar module carrying astronauts, Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, touched down at Tranquility Base on the surface of the moon. The Eagle had landed! Since that historic day, while the space program has had a number of tremendous successes and horrific failures, the day someone first walked on the moon will stand out as one of mankind's most amazing achievements.
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