One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind

July 20th, 1969, we said we'd do it. Then we did it. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to step upon the lunar surface. With the Cold War in a fever pitch, the Russians launching Sputnik, we had realized in 1957 that in the arena of space, we were hopelessly behind. One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.May 25th, 1961, President John F. Kennedy made an announcement that shocked the world. We would go to the moon before the end of the decade. We must beat the Soviet Union to the moon.On January 27th, 1967 the United States space program suffered a tremendous blow. Astronauts Roger Chaffee, Virgil Grissom, and Edward White were killed by a fire in the spacecraft cabin. These three men were all veterans of the space program. They gave their lives for in pursuit of our victory in the space race.With the lunar module Eagle, Mission Commander Neil Armstrong and Pilot Buzz Aldrin (Edwin Eugene Aldrin) set down in the Sea of Tranquility at 20:17 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on July 20th, 1969. That would be roughly 3 p.m. Central Standard Time.

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.""Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind."

The powerful Saturn V rocket pushed Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins past low earth orbit, through the thinnest points of the Van Allen radiation belts and towards the moon. The rest is history.From having no space presence to putting men on the moon, this July 20th we celebrate the 49th anniversary of the landing. One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. With our flag firmly planted on the lunar surface, a symbol of our nation's commitment to excellence.And remember folks, there are countries that use the metric system, then there are countries that put people on the moon.