The 1960s ~ Lesson 6 Man on the Moon
February 20, 1962 - John Glenn becomes the first American to circle the Earth.
June 3-7, 1965 - Edward H. White II is the first American to spacewalk.
December 21-27, 1968 - Frank Borman, James A. Lovell Jr., and William A. Anders orbit the moon in Apollo 8.
July 16-24, 1968 - Commander Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin launched Apollo 11 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin entered the lunar module called the Eagle and headed to the moon. Armstrong left the module first saying these words as he stepped on the moon's surface, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Aldrin followed twenty minutes later. The astronauts set up several experiments, collected samples of lunar rock, and erected a United States flag. After spending 21 1/2 hours on the moon, the lunar module blasted back to the Columbia module where Collins waited. Armstrong and Aldrin along with their samples transferred to the Command Service Module before sending the Eagle into space. The team splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24.