On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the lunar surface, making American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin the first humans to walk on the moon. Armstrong was the first to touch toe, and he meandered about for two and a half hours outside the spacecraft. Aldrin was next and though his jaunt wasn't as long, he and Aldrin managed to collect over forty-seven pounds of moon rocks to bring home as souvenirs. The third man, Michael Collins stayed behind and manned the controls; the ultimate "Hey, watch our stuff." He remained alone in orbit until Armstrong and Aldrin returned.
National Moon Day is observed annually on July 20 to commemorate what is thought of as “…the single greatest technological achievement of all time.”—NASA
You can celebrate the day, and night, by simply looking up in awe at our closest celestial body; it's near enough to see with the naked eye. You can also view through a telescope, or at an observation site like Griffith Observatory, Carnegie Observatory, or Mt Wilson. Also, check out the U.S. Naval Observatory website to search the moonrise and moonset times in your local area, so you can get the best viewing times.
We have lots of interesting books about the Apollo 11 landing, as well as biographies and autobiographies of all three astronauts. Their stories are fascinating!
Apollo 11 Books and Biographies
