Apollo 11’s lunar module landed on 20 July 1969. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin explored the surface while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit, and all three returned to Earth. It belongs here because human exploration crossed from orbiting Earth to operating on another world. The landing combined navigation, propulsion, surface equipment and a return plan; its scientific value included samples and instruments as well as the symbolic first steps.
Source: 1969: Apollo 11 lands on the Moon.
Image credit: Neil A. Armstrong · Public domain. Resized and JPEG compressed.
