NEIL ARMSTRONG

A Facebook post received 53,000 "likes" and "loves" by Saturday and was accompanied by photos of the newlyweds.

Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, who was one of the first people to walk on the moon, has married his “longtime love” in a small ceremony in Los Angeles.

Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin announced on Facebook that he has married his “longtime love” in a small ceremony in Los Angeles. Aldrin, who made history along with Neil Armstrong as the first humans to set foot on the surface of the moon, said the wedding took place on Friday, which was his 93rd birthday. The post received 53,000 Facebook “likes” and “loves” by Saturday and was accompanied by several photos of the newlyweds.

The former US astronaut, who was the second man on the moon, married his partner in Los Angeles.

A space capsule is hurtling toward the moon for the first time in 50 years.

Watch the rocket launch live at 1:04 a.m. on Wednesday morning. NASA coverage starts around 10 p.m. on Tuesday night.

NASA is making another attempt to launch its new moon rocket on its first test flight.

The NASA astronaut who commanded the Apollo 9 mission has died.

The NASA astronaut who commanded the Apollo 9 mission has died.

Varsity Tutors has a class for aspiring rocket scientists, with no experience necessary.

The clock is counting down to the debut flight of the rocket that will send people back to the Moon.

NASA's new moon rocket makes its debut next week in a high-stakes test flight before astronauts get on top.

Of the 12 Americans that stepped on the lunar surface between 1969-72, four were graduates of Big Ten universities.

The US astronaut wore the inflight jacket onboard his historic trip to the Moon in 1969.

A jacket worn by Buzz Aldrin set a new record for the most-ever paid at auction for a flown-in-space artifact, while Aldrin's pen credited with saving the Apollo 11 mission failed to sell.

Buzz Aldrin’s jacket worn on his historic first mission to the moon’s surface in 1969 has been auctioned off to a bidder for nearly $2.8 million.

NASA is shooting for a late August launch of its giant, new moon rocket.

Fashioning flags since 1847, Annin and Company has been the oldest and biggest flag manufacturer in the U.S., churning out tens of thousands of Star-Spangled Banners a day.

Scientists for the first time have grown plants in soil from the moon collected by NASA’s Apollo astronauts.

A minuscule amount of microscopic moon dust sold for half a million dollars after NASA determined that the particles came from the first lunar sample collected by Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong.

SpaceX has launched three rich businessmen and their astronaut escort to the International Space Station for more than a week’s stay.

Microscopic pieces of the moon that were found inside a bag used to protect the first astronaut-collected lunar soil sample are heading for auction after being released from NASA property.

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Meet our team.

They both carved out sterling reputations as military and political leaders over years of public service.

The U.S. Space Force is seeking more recruits to address some of the forthcoming military challenges of spaceflight.

A new strategy game called "Humankind" was released last week and its trailer had a hilarious Apollo 11 twist.

Neil Armstrong did not want NASA's Plum Brook Station to be named after him. The first person to walk on the moon declined the honor when asked, but a group of NASA officials and members of Congress presided over a ceremony in Ohio to do just that.

A NASA research facility in Ohio has been renamed after astronaut Neil Armstrong.

From, "Woo-hoo!" to "Who wants a Skittle?" here's what Jeff Bezos and his crew said on their 10-minute Blue Origin flight to the edge of space.

John Glenn has been honored over the weekend with a three-day festival in Ohio marking what would have been the history-making astronaut and U.S. senator’s 100th birthday.

When Blue Origin launches people into space for the first time, founder Jeff Bezos will be on board.

A new podcast series revisits how broadcast journalists covered some of the biggest stories, and tells some fascinating behind-the-scenes details.

Two billionaires are putting everything on the line to ride their own rockets into space.

The price to rocket into space next month with Jeff Bezos and his brother is a cool $28 million.

Sixty years after Alan Shepard became the first American in space, everyday people are on the verge of following in his cosmic footsteps.

Michael Collins stayed in orbit as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon in 1969.

Following his death at age 90, we look back at Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins' colorful life in photos.

Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins has died at age 90.

Space Mysteries: Before the cosmonaut orbited the Earth, rumors abounded that someone else already had.

Isaacman also revealed some details about his Inspiration4 mission, as the four gathered Tuesday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Their SpaceX Dragon capsule — currently parked at the International Space Station for NASA — will launch no earlier than mid-September, aiming for an altitude of 335 miles (540 kilometers). That’s 75 miles (120 kilometers) higher than the International Space Station and on a level with the Hubble Space Telescope. AdThe capsule will be outfitted with a domed window in place of the usual space station docking mechanism for their trip. The St. Jude physician assistant was treated there as a child for bone cancer.

(NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A piece of the Wright brothers’ first airplane is on Mars. NASA’s experimental Martian helicopter holds a small swatch of fabric from the 1903 Wright Flyer, the space agency revealed Tuesday. The helicopter, named Ingenuity, hitched a ride to the red planet with the Perseverance rover, arriving last month. It will mark a "Wright brothers' moment," noted Bobby Braun, director for planetary science at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The swatch made the 300 million-mile journey to Mars with the blessing of the Wright brothers' great-grandniece and great-grandnephew, said park curator Steve Lucht.

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the moon. 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley was there to listen while Armstrong recounted his thoughts and feelings from the day he launched into space. While taking in the view of the beach below, Bradley asked Armstrong if he had fears of becoming stranded on the moon. Nearly fifty years later, NASA is planning to launch a new moon program. Elon Musk's SpaceX and Boeing's Space Launch System are both on board for the ride and will be providing significant assistance to NASA.

Regina King: "God put me here to tell more of our stories"

This illustration provided by NASA depicts the Mars 2020 spacecraft carrying the Perseverance rover as it approaches Mars. Perseverance's $3 billion mission is the first leg in a U.S.-European effort to bring Mars samples to Earth in the next decade. Almost 50 years after the first casualty at Mars, NASA is attempting its hardest Martian touchdown yet. The rover named Perseverance is headed Thursday for a compact 5-mile-by-4-mile (8-kilometer-by-6.4-kilometer) patch on the edge of an ancient river delta. AdROUND-TRIP TICKETScientists have wanted to get hold of Mars rocks ever since NASA’s Mariners provided the first close pictures a half-century ago.

NASA’s moon-bound Artemis I Orion capsule is prepared for space environment testing at Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Station in December 2019. The site has been renamed by Congress as the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility. NASA's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, which in March completed a three-month test campaign in support of the agency's Artemis I Orion crew capsule, has been redesignated the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility . Plum Brook Station inherited its name from a World War II ordnance facility that was built near a stream called "Plum Brook." (Image credit: NASA)As directed by the newly-enacted legislation, the formal name of the Plum Brook Station will be the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility.

Irons was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. (Colin Hutton/HBO via AP)LOS ANGELES Notable facts and figures from Tuesdays nominations for the 72nd Emmy Awards:___WATCHMEN SOARS BUT ROOTS RUNS DEEPHBO's Watchmen led all shows with a whopping 26 nominations, but that doesn't come close to the record for a limited series. Another HBO limited series, 2008's John Adams, holds the record for limited series Emmy wins with 13, from 23 nominations. The work earned Aldrin and Collins 2020 Emmy nominations for best cinematography for a nonfiction program. The nominees for best supporting actress in a limited series also include 69-year-old Margo Martindale and 60-year-old Tracey Ullman for Mrs.

(SpaceX via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Its back to the future as NASA astronauts launch again from the U.S. aboard a retro-style Right Stuff capsule. SpaceXs Dragon crew capsule outshines NASAs old Apollo spacecraft in virtually every way. This fresh take on a vintage look will be on full display Wednesday when SpaceX plans to launch NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station a first for a private company. Russias workhorse Soyuz capsules, still in use after a half-century plus, have kept NASA astronauts flying to the space station. A test dummy soloed on last years Dragon crew capsule debut.

It will be the first astronaut launch from NASAs Kennedy Space Center since the last shuttle flight in 2011. They'll catch a ride to the launch pad in a Tesla Model X electric car. It will be the first astronaut launch from NASAs Kennedy Space Center since the last shuttle flight in 2011. The worm adorns the Astro-Tesla, Falcon and even the astronauts' suits, along with NASAs original blue meatball-shaped logo. The white-suited Hurley and Behnken will transfer from the white Tesla to the white Dragon atop the equally white Falcon 9.

Neil Armstrong captivated the world when he took "one giant leap" onto the moon's dusty surface in 1969. President Donald Trump who began his foray into galactic affairs when he championed the Space Force to fight extraterrestrial wars is looking for his own moon landing moment. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the White House announced Monday an executive order in which Trump calls for U.S. business interests to mine the moon. Trump's executive order attempts to advance the scarce legal framework that governs various nations' claims to space. Back on Earth, the federal government has ignored calls to update the main law governing hardrock mining minerals such as gold and lead which has gone largely unchanged since it was signed in 1872.

Named after astronaut Neil Armstrong, NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) main facility sits under the clear skies of the Mojave Desert, at the edge of Rogers Dry Lake, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. Its original name was the High Speed Flight Research Station, operated by NASAs predecessor agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). When NACA became NASA in 1958, the Center was known as the NASA Flight Research Center. Among the 10 NASA field centers, Armstrong is "the agency's lead center for atmospheric flight research, operations and testing," according to the center's website. When you fly on a plane today, you are benefiting from research performed at the Armstrong Flight Research Center.

The "Meet the Legends" exhibit at Madame Tussauds in D.C. features relaunched sculptures of Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong as well as a lunar module where guests can pose to take photos with the astronauts. Now, the astronauts involved in the mission are getting a permanent photo-op thanks to Madame Tussauds newest additions to its attraction in the US capital. In conversation with Madame Tussauds' General Manager Therese Alvich, Stern explained just how significant the moon landing was for science and technology. "We are about to enter a new age of exploration with the Artemis Project, which will send astronauts to the moon in the 2020s. That will be in preparation for sending astronauts to the surface of Mars in the 2030s and beyond.

Later, the Apollo 14 and 15 missions would also add similar arrays to the surface. This allows researchers to determine the moon's orbit, rotation and its current orientation, which will be needed to land on the moon. Previously it was believed that the moon had a solid core, but data from the arrays has revealed that the core is fluid. Until 1964, there weren't any closeup or detailed photos of the lunar surface. In 1964, Ranger 7 successfully reached the moon and returned 4,316 images of the surface before it collided intentionally with the surface.

Paul Brooke and a team of sculptors paid homage to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Part of a series of butter sculptures -- made out of more than 2,000 pounds of creamy goodness -- one work features the three Apollo 11 astronauts -- Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. The American Dairy Association Mideast collaborated with the fair to commemorate the role that Ohio played in the world-famous mission. But the Apollo 11 mission is not the only anniversary that the fair has recognized. The Ohio State Fair runs through August 4.

Were the real circumstances of Neil Armstrong's death kept from the world when he died seven years ago? Now comes the revelation that the 82-year-old legend's death was allegedly due to shoddy medical care and he didn't have to die. A front-page report in Wednesdays New York Times states that Armstrongs family entered into a secret $6 million wrongful death settlement with the hospital where he died. He said the American hero's death was "wholly preventable."It certainly seems like the care at the end of life for Neil Armstrong was not optimal. The hospital was so concerned about keeping the family's complaint a secret, it used a phony name, calling him Ned Anderson not Neil Armstrong.

The hearing was to reviewThe family of famed astronaut Neil Armstrong was paid $6 million by a hospital as part of a wrongful death settlement, according to CNN by way of a New York Times report. Mercy Health reportedly paid the secret settlement in 2014, two years after Armstrong's death in 2012. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Armstrong's sons believed that his death was due to poor post-surgical care at Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital and threatened to pursue legal action against the hospital. Three expert medical professionals reviewed the documents sent to the New York Times which showed what happened after Armstrong was admitted to Fairfield Hospital. Doctors decided to perform bypass surgery immediately after running tests and implanted temporary wires in his heart to help pace his heartbeat, The New York Times reported.

Armstrong once called him "the man who was the 'Control' in Mission Control." Kraft became known as "the father of Mission Control" and in 2011 NASA returned the favor by naming the Houston building that houses the nerve center after Kraft. The average age of the flight control team was 26; Kraft was 38. "We didn't know a damn thing about putting a man into space," Kraft wrote in his autobiography. "Chris Kraft had pioneered Mission Control and fought the battles in Mercury and Gemini, serving as the role model of the flight director.

DETROIT - ClickOnDetroit Morning Briefing -- July 20, 2019Heavy downpours, thunderstorms and 70 mph winds have left thousands of people without power. Beginning Saturday, elected officials, organizers, faith leaders, entertainers and young leaders will make their way to the Cobo Center for the 110th NAACP National Convention. More local headlines:For more Local News head to ClickOnDetroit.com/news/local. Submit a news tipTell us what's happening in your community -- submit a news tip to Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit right here. Tweets by Local4NewsCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

Fifty years ago, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to step onto the moons surface. As you see in these NASA photos from Apollo 11, the weather cooperated for the launch. While the launch weather was perfect, the landing weather was not. The next Apollo launch, Apollo 12, was not so smooth. One final note: my wife has a personal connection to the Apollo 11 launch.

To pull it off, the Apollo astronauts and the teams that supported them put in grueling hours of training. Cool'The Apollo 11 crew of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins traveled 240,000 miles in 76 hours to reach the moon. The Apollo 11 astronauts, meanwhile, had more than 70 food items to choose from. 400,000 people worked on the Apollo 11 missionThe full triumph of Apollo 11 doesn't just belong to the astronauts. Over the years, Apollo Mission Control and its surrounding rooms fell into disrepair.

Billionaires join the space raceMillions of people watched in wonder as man first set foot upon the moon 50 years ago. But in the era of space travel now dawning, far more of us are destined to join them. Several self-made billionaires have launched space companies that are vying to take civilians to the moon and this new competitive market could change the way we look at the sky above. Mark Strassmann reports.

A moonstruck nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's "giant leap" by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin at parties, races, ball games and concerts Saturday, toasting with Tang and gobbling MoonPies. At NASA 's Kennedy Space Center, Aldrin showed Vice President Mike Pence the launch pad where he flew to the moon in 1969. And where better to celebrate than Apollo, Pennsylvania located in Armstrong County not far from Moon Township and the town of Mars. "This is what we're here for, to share the American space experience," explained executive director Karan Conklin, who led the toast. The crew deliberately modeled its mission patch after Apollo 11's: no astronaut names included to show the universal nature of space flight.

Neil Armstrong uttered his famous words, Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind, after landing on the moon July 20, 1969. I wondered how he knew I smoked and thanked him for showing me where I could find my Marlboros. Neil Armstrong uttered his famous words, Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind, after landing on the moon July 20, 1969. Every storefront in downtown Bangkok had a TV monitor in the window showing the landing and coverage over and over. I looked up at the moon and thought about how incredible it was that Armstrong was up there dancing along on the surface.

Armstrong was the first one out, proclaiming for the ages: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." "Few moments in our American story spark more pride than the Apollo 11 mission," President Donald Trump said in a Space Exploration Day message. His statement reiterated the goal of sending astronauts back to the moon within five years and taking "the next giant leap sending Americans to Mars." The powdered orange drink Tang was back in vogue for the toasts, along with MoonPies, including a 55-pound (25-kilogram), 45,000-calorie MoonPie at Kennedy's One Giant Leap bash. Only one of the three cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov was alive at the time of Apollo 11.

Scott Barbour/Getty Images(CNN) - The moon landing got the Google Doodle treatment for its 50th anniversary, retold from launch to landing by one of the three astronauts on the history-making mission. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Collins began their mission July 16, 1969, launching from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin departed on the lunar module, called the "Eagle," which would separate from the command module to make the 13-minute descent to the surface of the moon. Collins waited on the other side of the moon from the comfort of the command module that would take all three men home. In the words immortalized on the plaque they planted on the moon: "We came in peace for all mankind."

Here are some fun moon facts and family events to celebrate the Apollo 11 50th anniversary. That mission, dubbed Apollo 11, was responsible for numerous scientific and technological advancements. Apollo 11 was really exciting because a human being stepped foot in another world, says Paulette Epstein, director of museum programs at the Michigan Science Center in Detroit. Planetarium programmingCatch a variety of shows and events commemorating the Apollo 11 mission at the planetarium at Wayne State University. Fun moon factsLooking for even more ways to celebrate the Apollo 11 50th anniversary?

(CNN) The moon landing got the Google Doodle treatment for its 50th anniversary, retold from launch to landing by one of the three astronauts on the history-making mission. If you click it, youll see Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins narrating a short cartoon rendering of the eight-day mission, peppered with anecdotes from life on board. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Collins began their mission July 16, 1969, launching from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin departed on the lunar module, called the Eagle, which would separate from the command module to make the 13-minute descent to the surface of the moon. Collins waited on the other side of the moon from the comfort of the command module that would take all three men home.

PopularFrom 1979: Oil refinery vs. bald eagleIn Cobscook Bay, Maine, the Pittston Company's plans to build an oil refinery, welcomed by the tiny, struggling town, were met with resistance by environmentalists. The battle over the potential damage to the nesting area of the bald eagle (which in the 1970s was still an endangered species) led the Environmental Protection Agency to deny a permit. Correspondent Lem Tucker talked with Pittston vice president Arnold Kaulakis, Eastport city manager Everett Baxter, and environmental advocate Robert Gardiner, in a story first broadcast on "Sunday Morning" January 28, 1979. (Note: in 1983, after a decade-long effort, Pittston withdrew its plans to build the refinery citing escalating costs and global market conditions.)

Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins reunited Friday on the eve of the 50th anniversary of humanity's first moon landing. "We're bringing the glamour back" to the space program, Trump said. The vice president is commemorating Saturday's anniversary at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, visiting the launch pad where Apollo 11 blasted off. NASA televised a two-hour show Friday afternoon remembering Apollo 11 but also looking forward to its future moon plans. ___Follow AP's full coverage of the Apollo 11 anniversary at: https://apnews.com/Apollo11moonlanding___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education.

Five thousand rockets were launched into the air Wednesday, not only to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing but also to set a Guinness World Record. Astronauts, NASA engineers and eager young campers witnessed the event organized by the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, a city dedicated to space exploration. Huntsville is the rocket city, Randall Robinson of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center told InsideEdition.com. The previous record was set in November 2018, when 4,231 model rockets were launched during a European Space Science Convention held in the Netherlands. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center said it wanted to hold its own rocket launching to encourage young scientists to follow their dreams.

CBS News special: "Man on the Moon" On the 50th anniversary, two legends tell the story of the momentous 1969 moon walk: Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong and “CBS Evening News” anchor Walter Cronkite -- the man who made history and the man who reported it. Hosted by "CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins returned to the launch pad Tuesday at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida where he flew to the moon 50 years ago along with the late Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins speaks at a panel discussion on the 50th anniversary of the launch, in Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S., July 16, 2019. REUTERS/Joe SkipperWonderful feeling to be back at launch pad 39A, Collins, the command module pilot for Apollo 11, said in an interview on the pad with Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, himself a veteran of four space shuttle launches and a former shuttle commander. Aldrin, 89, was to join Collins on the launch pad but canceled. Collins was to be joined Tuesday evening at a gala in Cape Canaveral, Florida, by Charles Duke, the youngest human to walk on the moon as an Apollo 16 astronaut, Apollo flight director Gerald Griffin, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, and four-time shuttle veteran Charlie Precourt.

Fifty years ago on July 16, 1969, NASA launched the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon, and as we all know, they accomplished the mission. We decided to round up some of our favorite movies not only involving the Apollo 11 mission, but movies that focused on the race to the moon in general. "First Man"It's kind of surprising there aren't a whole lot of movies about the first moon landing. Luckily, "First Man," starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong, is a fantastic send-up to the people who worked on Apollo 11. "Apollo 11"The only other film about the historic Apollo 11 mission is a documentary that shares its name.

Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Micheal Collins were en route to the moon, traveling thousands of feet per second. Over the years, we've learned more about what items Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins chose to take with them as they made history. Fraternity pin: Armstrong was a member of Phi Delta Theta at Purdue University and brought his fraternity pin on the Apollo 11 mission. Three flags: Among the small items Collins carried with him in flight, Collins brought the U.S. Flag, the flag of the District of Columbia and the flag of the U.S. Air Force flag on the Apollo 11 mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins returned Tuesday to the exact spot where he flew to the moon 50 years ago with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Apollo 11 was serious business. The crowd also included members of NASAs next moon management team, including Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, launch director for the still-in-development Space Launch System moon rocket. Blackwell-Thompson said she got goosebumps listening to the replay of the Apollo 11 countdown. Later Tuesday, Collins was going to be reunited with two other Apollo astronauts at an evening gala at Kennedy, including Apollo 16 moonwalker Charlie Duke, who was the capsule communicator in Mission Control for the Apollo 11 moon landing.

"Apollo 11 ... was serious business. Another spectator, Karin Wise, of Jonesboro, Georgia, was 19 during Apollo 11 and recalled being glued to TV coverage. Back at Kennedy, NASA televised original launch video of Apollo 11, timed down to the second. The crowd also included members of NASA's next moon management team, including Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, launch director for the still-in-development Space Launch System moon rocket. The lone female launch controller for Apollo 11, JoAnn Morgan, enjoyed seeing the much updated- firing room.

Fifty years ago today, Apollo 11 began its voyage into American history. The morning of the launch, the Apollo 11 trio ate breakfast with a much smaller crew and reviewed maps with NASA's Deke Slayton. The specially equipped, air-conditioned van drove the crew about 12 miles to launch station 39A, the home of the 36-story-tall Saturn V rocket that would launch them to the moon. Americans pack Florida beach awaiting launch: "This is a dramatic point in history"Americans pack Florida beach for Apollo 11 launch: This is a dramatic point in historyCBS sports commentator Heywood Hale Broun took to the beach in Florida, where thousands of Americans awaited the launch. Apollo 11 launches, beginning epic journey to the moonApollo 11 launches, beginning epic journey to the moonCronkite counted down the anxious minutes then seconds until the Saturn V's launch.

Lunar mission Apollo 13 in April 1970 had to abort the planned landing after an explosion. From the beginning, the U.S. space program reflected the intensity of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. After the successful Apollo Moon program, U.S. space efforts focused on the Space Shuttle, also initially planned in 1969. The relatively low-key announcement included far less fanfare, and generated far less public interest, than was the case regarding the Moon program. Arthur I. Cyr is a Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of After the Cold War (Macmillan/Palgrave and NYU Press).

Astronauts studied moon mapping at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff where Pluto was discovered and peered at their eventual destination through telescopes at various northern Arizona sites. The region's role in moon missions is credited to former Geological Survey scientist Gene Shoemaker, who moved the agency's astrogeology branch to Flagstaff in 1963. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt was the only Apollo astronaut who didn't train at the national park. The eventual lunar rover used in three Apollo missions famously got a broken fender on a 1972 mission to the moon. He and John Young, who were on Apollo 16, named a moon crater "Flag Crater."

Fortunately, for Apollo 11 and all of mankind, a young, brilliant MIT software engineer saw this coming from nearly a million miles away. It was one of many benchmark moments for Hamilton, who helped pioneer the yet-to-be-named field of software engineering during the days of the Apollo program. His introduction of computer programming to Hamilton would have a ripple effect that would eventually lead to mankinds giant leap. I ended up doing software programming which I had never done before, because nobody was doing it at the time. Three minutes before Armstrong and Aldrin touched down on the moon, Apollo 11's lunar lander alarm triggered, red and yellow lights across the board, said President Barack Obama during the ceremony.

Apollo Moon Landing Astronaut Neil Armstrong did something no one had ever done before. It's called a Zero Gravity Blizzard, and it's served to you upside down, or the next one is free. And finally, everyone's favorite cookie, Oreo, is celebrating 50 years since the moon landing, too. Oreo decided to guess what the moon tastes like -- and made it into an Oreo filling. The official anniversary of the moon landing is July 20, so you better get your hands on these far-out cosmic treats.

The restricted lab is home to hundreds of pounds of moon rocks collected by Apollo astronauts close to a half-century ago. Zeiglers job is to preserve what the 12 moonwalkers brought back from 1969 through 1972 lunar samples totaling 842 pounds (382 kilograms) and ensure scientists get the best possible samples for study. Of the six manned moon landings, Apollo 11 yielded the fewest lunar samples: 48 pounds or 22 kilograms. All five subsequent Apollo moon landings had longer stays. He occasionally visits the lunar sample lab and plans to help open the fresh specimens.

The National Air and Space Museum is fundraising to preserve historic items from space expeditions, including Neil Armstrong's original space suit. CBSN's Jeff Glor discusses the campaign.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong's secret mementos from moon mission The world is getting a look at some of the souvenirs Armstrong brought home from Apollo 11. They were all gear that NASA was going to throw away, and now they're on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Wyatt Andrews reports.

Neil Armstrong kept mementos from his famous walk on the moon The widow of Neil Armstrong says she has found a bag of mementos the astronaut kept from his historic lunar mission on the Apollo 11. The items are now on display at the Smithsonian National Air And Space Museum in Washington D.C.

Michael Collins remembers Neil Armstrong's skill At a NASA event honoring Neil Armstrong Monday, Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins talks about how good of an astronaut and pilot Neil Armstrong was. Collins and others were celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon.

Buzz Aldrin recalls how he ended up on a mission to the moon Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, speaking at an event honoring Neil Armstrong, described how he wound up on the first mission to the moon. Aldrin and others were celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon.

Michael Collins honors Neil Armstrong Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, speaking at an event honoring Neil Armstrong, recounts a childhood story about his fellow astronaut. Collins and others were celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon.

NASA celebrates 45 years since first man on the moon 45 years ago this week, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. NASA estimates that 530 million people watched this historic landing on television. Charlie Rose reports.