On July 16, 1969, three astronauts blasted off inside the Apollo 11 - Lunar Module that was called the Eagle, in their mission to perform a manned Moon landing for the first time in human history. Four days later, July 20, it was Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin who left the Eagle to spend two and a half hours outside the spacecraft while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the Command / Service Module.

 Eagle, the Lunar Module ascent stage of Apollo 11, in orbit above the Moon. Earth is visible in the distance.

 
When Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface, he famously said: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Along with Collins and Aldrin, Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon. President Jimmy Carter presented Armstrong with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978, and Armstrong and his former crew-mates received a Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.

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