51 years ago on July 20th, the Lunar Module Eagle landed on the surface of the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility at 20:17 UTC, marking the first time in history that humans have been to another world beyond Earth. The next morning on July 21st, Neil Armstrong was the first one to step out onto the surface, his boots first hitting the regolith at approximately 02:56 UTC. From landing to liftoff, he and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin would remain on the surface for about 21 hours and 36 minutes; collecting 21.5 kg (47.5 lbs) of lunar material, famously planting the American flag (which was unfortunately later knocked down by the liftoff) and a variety of scientific instruments, such as a laser reflector used to measure the distance between Earth and the Moon. In addition, they also left behind the first of the Apollo plaques, an Apollo 1 mission patch as a memorial to the three astronauts (Roger Chaffee, Gus Grissom, and Edward White) who had perished in the Apollo 1 fire, two medals as a memorial for two deceased Soviet cosmonauts (Vladimir Komarov and Yuri Gagarin), a bag containing a replica of an olive branch as a symbol for peace, a message disk containing recorded statements from four US presidents and 73 other countries, and assorted material which they were unable to bring back (such as their bagged excrement). Apollo 11 and the program as a whole took place during a rather divisive period in American history, taking place in the same decade as the Civil Rights Movement and during the Vietnam War.
Although the mission was formulated chiefly for political reasons as a final act of US firsts near the end of the 'Space Race' with the Soviet Union, Apollo 11 and the following missions would contribute enormously to science, bringing back samples and observations and leaving behind technology which would provide a continuing wealth of information to scientists on both the Moon to this day. Interest in the space program during the subsequent Apollo missions and after was scant compared to Apollo 11, with 59% of the American public favoring cuts to spending on space exploration in 1973. This reported lack of interest in space exploration would be telling, with crewed launches into space only reaching into low orbit from then to the present day.
Speaking personally, I've always been fascinated by space travel (as you may be able to guess), with these lunar missions being a major focus of that. Although mired in the huge costs which comes with the enormously steep slope of Earth's gravity and the wholly unforgiving environment found beyond, I've always hoped for it to become easier with time and more expansive, so I have always been somewhat disappointed by the limited scope of human space exploration since then, even with the long list of accomplishments by robotic probes in the decades since space travel began.
What say you, NSG?
