Apollo 11 moon landing timeline: From JFK's 1961 goal to Armstrong's first steps in July 1969

By A.S. Ganesh

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”

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— U.S. President John F. Kennedy, May 25, 1961

Setting foot on the moon marked the fulfilment of a desire that had likely existed ever since human beings first set their eyes on Earth’s natural satellite. The success of the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969 — a little over five months before the end of the 1960s — also meant that Kennedy’s target was achieved.

Here are snapshots from a week that saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon.

July 16, 1969: Lift-off

Time: 13:32:00 UTC (9:32 am ET)

The Apollo 11 spacecraft — with Neil Armstrong, Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin, and Michael Collins aboard — blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a Wednesday morning. It might have been the middle of a week, but a million spectators gathered in attendance, including Vice President Spiro Agnew and former President Lyndon Johnson. Countless others around the world followed all the updates. There was a carnival atmosphere, but everyone knew the real drama was still a few days away.

July 20, 1969: Undocking

Time: 17:44 UTC (1:44 pm ET)

Three days after lift-off, the crew were in lunar orbit. One day later, Armstrong and Aldrin entered the Lunar Module (LM) called Eagle, while Collins continued to orbit in the Command Module (CM) called Columbia, clicking photographs of the lunar surface and serving as a communications link.

At the time noted above, the LM undocked from the CM. The descent to the surface of the moon began soon after.

July 20, 1969: Landing

Time: 20:17 UTC (4:17 pm ET)

“Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed,” were Armstrong’s first words once the LM touched down on the moon’s surface.

Buzz Aldrin spoke these words after landing: “I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her own way.”

July 20, 1969: Human Landing Begins

Time: 10:51 pm ET (July 21, 1969, 2:51 UTC)

In the 6.5 hours between landing and a human setting foot on the moon, Armstrong and Aldrin conducted a detailed check of Eagle to ensure that lift-off from the moon would take place without incident.

July 20, 1969: Human Sets Foot on Moon

Time: 10:56 pm ET (July 21, 1969, 2:56 UTC)

At 10:51 pm ET, Armstrong began his descent from the LM. He started speaking while at the foot of the ladder and finished with: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” syncing it with the moment he set foot on the moon.

Aldrin joined Armstrong on the moon 19 minutes later. The duo set about performing the tasks they had prepared for, including collecting samples.

July 21, 1969: Ascent from the Lunar Surface

Time: 17:54 UTC (1:54 pm ET)

Armstrong and Aldrin spent a total of 21 hours and 36 minutes on the moon’s surface, with the entire extravehicular activity phase lasting over...