Just one small step

Hailey Heseltine
ECB Publishing, Inc.

July 20, 1969, was a tremendous day in history. This famous day marked vast accomplishments in many fields of science at once, especially astronomy. It also sparked the imagination of millions of people worldwide, as an accomplishment that would have seemed impossible only a few decades ago came to life. It was on that day that, with the whole world watching, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the moon. July 20, 2024, marks the 55th anniversary of this remarkable accomplishment of science.
Apollo 11's landing on the moon was the culmination of countless scientific endeavors over the decades. In fact, flight itself was a relatively new concept. The first plane flew in 1903, yet only 58 years later, mankind had already been to space, and 66 years later, man was on the moon.
Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union became the first person in space on April 12, 1961. Only a few years prior, the “Space Race,” a fierce competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to see who could create the most advanced technology first, had been kicked into action. The competition was based on more than an interest in technology and discovery; it also had strong political implications and could be described as a form of arms race. The tense spirit of competition was one of the things that fueled the two countries to make such large technological leaps in such a short period of time.
A natural subset of the Space Race was the Moon Race. Less than a month after Gagarin's successful orbit and return, John F. Kennedy set a clearly-defined and extremely ambitious goal for America—to have a moon landing before the end of the decade.
That goal guided many of the scientific efforts in the years to follow, when rapid developments in space technology were achieved faster than ever before. Though some efforts were unsuccessful, with each step, the goal of the moon grew closer. In December of 1968, the Apollo 8, a manned spacecraft, successfully orbited the moon ten times and returned back to earth. It was the first time in history humans had left earth's orbit. It was an incredibly risky mission, and yet, it succeeded. Apollo 8 laid the groundwork for the even bigger development to come only a few months later.
On the morning of July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy, Fla., containing three astronauts: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. The mission objective was for the astronauts to land on the moon, experiment, explore, collect samples and extensively document their findings and experience while on the previously uncharted terrain.
Moments from the event were televised through several transmissions, and it was estimated that around 650 million people were watching and waiting from their own homes.
Around 9:30 a.m., Apollo 11 launched, and the world began to hold its breath. A little under three hours later, the spacecraft left Earth's orbit and headed out into the great unknown of space.
The journey to the moon, which is well over 238,000 miles, took the Apollo 11 several days to complete; it began orbiting the moon on July 19, on the afternoon of the third day after launch. Despite the inherent risks of the journey, the flight had remarkably fewer mishaps than were anticipated, and some of the technology designed for emergencies went unused. Multiple transmissions were made from space along the way, featuring Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, and keeping the watching world on the edge of its seat.
On July 20, 1969, at 109 hours and 42 minutes, the first human stepped on the moon. Armstrong took that famous “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” before the eyes of millions, followed by Aldrin not long after.
That moment was a cause for worldwide celebration. It marked the success an astounding series of accomplishments in science, proving to the world that it was possible for space travel to progress. Perhaps it seemed that the vast unknown no longer felt quite as unknown, because this instance was proof that it could slowly but surely be explored and studied. The landing was, according to Armstrong, the most worrisome part of the journey, and if it was accomplished, then surely other developments could be as well.
Armstrong and Aldrin placed an American flag on the surface of the moon, explored, collected samples, took photographs and left commemorative memorabilia, including some in honor of fallen astronauts, such as the Apollo 1 crew.
The journey back home was also a success; the astronauts landed in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii and were recovered by the U.S.S. Hornet on July 24. On that day Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins brought more than just samples home with them—they brought inspiration and hope to the world. They proved that it was possible for humans to travel farther than previously thought. They had stepped onto another celestial body and survived to tell the tale. This was not just a one-time instance, either—it was proof that it could be done again.
That one small step, which was the product of the diligent research and planning of thousands, truly made history.