Moon Landing Pictures From 1969 Reveal What Really Happened During Neil Armstrong’s Journey
See rare photos from the historic Apollo 11 mission and learn the fascinating truth behind it all
Key Takeaways
- On July 16, 1969, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins launched on Apollo 11 and landed on the moon.
- Armstrong admitted he deliberately left the planned TV coverage area to explore the crater.
- Despite conspiracy theories, Armstrong was unbothered, knowing someone would return for his cam
As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) gets ready to send the Artemis II crew to the moon, Americans everywhere are feeling nostalgic—and for good reason. It’s been over 50 years since Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the lunar surface, and the incredible moon landing pictures from that day still captivate us. Want to see rare photos from the historic mission and learn the fascinating true story behind them? Keep scrolling!
A look at the first ever moon landing
On July 16, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins set off on Apollo 11 with the hopes of landing on the moon. Eight days later, on July 24, 1969, they made it! Upon arriving, the astronauts planted an American flag on the ground and said, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind” and then began to check out their surroundings..
“There was great uncertainty about how well we would be able to walk in our cumbersome pressurized suit. My colleague demonstrated a variety of techniques in view of the television camera that I had installed in a position predetermined to be in the optimum spot for coverage of all of our activities,” Armstrong wrote in a 2010 letter to NPR. “Preflight planners wanted us to stay in TV range so that they could learn from our results how they could best plan for future missions. I candidly admit that I knowingly and deliberately left the planned working area out of TV coverage to examine and photograph the interior crater walls for possible bedrock exposure or other useful information. I felt the potential gain was worth the risk.”
“It is true that we would have liked to stay on the surface longer and travel further away from the Lunar Module and the television camera, but we had a number of experiments to install, samples to document and collect and photographs to take,” he continued. “The time available was fully allocated and we were working diligently to complete our assigned tasks. The Lunar Laser Ranging Retroreflector we installed is still in use today in a variety of scientific experiments.”
Why some people think the moon landing was fake
In recent years, many people have been wondering if the moon landing was faked. People claim that they can see the strings pulling the astronauts up, and some have even said they can see a film crew reflected on the windows and helmets.
The rumors never bother the crew, though, and in 2012, according to ABC, Armstrong even said, “It was never a concern to me because I know that one day, somebody’s going to go fly back up there and pick up the camera that I left.”
What happened after the moon landing
After the 1969 moon landing, NASA sent five other rockets to the natural satellite. None of those astronauts were as famous as the first three though, and none of them managed to find the camera that Armstrong left.
Armstrong and Collins have both passed away, but Aldrin is still alive and well. He’s 96-years-old and lives in Southern California.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of my good friend, and space exploration companion, Neil Armstrong today,” Aldrin said in 2012. “As Neil, Mike Collins and I trained together for our historic Apollo 11 mission, we understood the many technical challenges we faced, as well as the importance and profound implications of this historic journey. We will now always be connected as the crew of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, yet for the many millions who witnessed that remarkable achievement for humankind, we were not alone.”
“Whenever I look at the moon I am reminded of that precious moment, over four decades ago, when Neil and I stood on the desolate, barren, yet beautiful Sea of Tranquility, looking back at our brilliant blue planet Earth suspended in the darkness of space. I realized that even though we were farther away from Earth than two humans had ever been, we were not alone,” he continued. “I had truly hoped that on July 20th, 2019, Neil, Mike and I would be standing together to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of our moon landing, as we also anticipated the continued expansion of humanity into space, that our small mission helped make possible. Regrettably, this is not to be. Neil will most certainly be there with us in spirit.”
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