Moon Landing

It seemed the whole world had stopped. Then, clear as crystal, came those immortal words . . . "That's one small step for man - one giant leap for mankind". The speaker: American astronaut Neil Armstrong. The place: The Moon.

It was July 20, 1969, and Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 mission, had just become the first human to set foot on the Moon. His feat, and that of his crew-mate Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin who was just a few paces behind him onto the moon's surface, was and still is the most memorable moment since the space race began in earnest towards the end of the 1950s.

The three astronauts returned to Earth on 24 July, but they had left some commemorative items on the Moon. There was a small plaque which read, 'Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon, July, 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind'.

Shoulder patches and medals were also left on the moon, as well as a silicon disk which had been etched with messages from the leaders of 73 countries.