Who were the first people to walk on the moon

On July 20 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin became the first people to walk on the Moon. They had arrived in lunar orbit the day before with the third member of the Apollo 11 mission, Michael Collins, after a three-day flight from Earth. 

Collins stayed in lunar orbit aboard the command module Columbia while Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the surface in the lunar module Eagle.

They spent a little less than a day on the surface, of which about 2 and a half hours was spent outside the lunar module. Their moonwalks took them no more than 100 metres away from the vehicle.

After the astronauts returned safely to Earth, another five NASA crewed lunar missions followed in their footsteps. The last, Apollo 17, landed on December 14 1972.

No human has been back since.

The Russian space agency Roscosmos has announced plans for a mission around 2030. NASA, meanwhile, has turned its eyes to Mars.

Who were the first people to walk on the moon
Buzz Aldrin climbs down the steps of the lunar module. Credit: NASA

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Who were the first people to walk on the moon
Buzz Aldrin prepares to deploy some scientific equipment. The Passive Seismic Experiments Package is in his left hand; the Laser Ranging Retro-Reflector is in his left. Credit: NASA

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Who were the first people to walk on the moon
Buzz Aldrin after deploying the science packages. In the background is the lunar module Eagle. Credit: NASA

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Who were the first people to walk on the moon
Buzz Aldrin poses for a photograph beside the United States flag. Eagle is on the left, and the footprints of the astronauts are clearly visible in the soil of the moon. Credit: NASA

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Who were the first people to walk on the moon
This is the only photograph of Neil Armstrong on the moon – most of the time he was behind the camera. He was snapped by Buzz Aldrin in the process of taking a series of panoramic photos. Credit: NASA
Who were the first people to walk on the moon
Back to Buzz Aldrin. Armstrong can be seen here, too, if you look closely: reflected in the mirror-like visor of Aldrin’s spacesuit. Credit: NASA

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Who were the first people to walk on the moon
A footprint, one of Buzz Aldrin’s, left behind on the Moon. Credit: NASA

Related reading: Apollo missions impact looking at the moon

Originally published by Cosmos as Apollo 11: the first humans on the moon

Who were the first people to walk on the moon

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Who are the 12 astronauts who walked on the moon?

The list of astronauts who've walked on the moon during the Apollo era are:.
Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11).
Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11).
Charles "Pete" Conrad (Apollo 12).
Alan Bean (Apollo 12).
Alan Shepard (Apollo 14).
Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14).
David Scott (Apollo 15).
James Irwin (Apollo 15).

Who was the 7 person to walk on the moon?

List
No.
Name
Born
7.
David Scott
June 6, 1932
8.
James Irwin
March 17, 1930
9.
John Young
September 24, 1930
10.
Charles Duke
October 3, 1935
List of people who have walked on the Moon - Simple Wikipediasimple.wikipedia.org › wiki › List_of_people_who_have_walked_on_the_...null

Were the Russians the first to walk on the moon?

In the end it was of course the Americans who won the race, in 1969, when their astronauts first walked on the Moon. For all the years of rivalry, the viewing room in Russia burst into huge applause as Neil Armstrong took the first steps.

Who was the first man to explore the moon?

On July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin (1930-) became the first humans ever to land on the moon. About six-and-a-half hours later, Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon.