Apollo 11 celebrating 50 years: First steps on the moon

When we hear Apollo 11, many think of the phrase “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” But as important as the moon landing was, the launch itself was also a momentous event that’s shaped our future.

It’s been 50 years since the Apollo 11 launch, the mission that landed us on the moon. On July 16th, 1969, millions of people tuned in to hear it happening over the radio or gathered in front of their black and white TV sets.

“It was the most televised event per capita of any other event prior to that,” said Elias Molen, Director of the Space Foundation Discovery Center.

It was a challenge President John F. Kennedy had promised in 1961. And we were able to complete it.

“If you ask many people that were alive during the launch and landing, they will tell you that they remember exactly where they were,” Molen said.

Half a century later, it’s just as momentous.

Molen explains that Apollo 11 was the spark that really lit the public’s interest in the aerospace program. Many more people began thinking, “‘I want to be the next astronaut out in space.'”

The Discovery Center in Colorado Springs is hosting a slew of activities for the Apollo 11 anniversary this week. Artifacts from the mission will be on display, along with a meet and greet with an astronaut from Colorado Springs.

For more information on their anniversary events, visit their website here.