On this day – July 21st

Man on the Moon

It is hard now to convey the all-encompassing excitement surrounding the Moon mission in July 1969. We had been given plenty of warning of course, President Kennedy vowing at the start of the decade that America would land a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s, reacting to Soviet triumphs in the space race like Gagarin's flight and before that putting Sputnik into orbit. But landing on the moon was somehow more understandable and greater as an achievement.

It was travel not reconnaissance.

Almost as amazing was the live TV coverage of the event – in Britain the ITN and the BBC battled over the TV coverage, David Frost on the great night hosting a rather light-hearted programme, whereas the BBC went serious with Patrick Moore , James Burke, and Cliff Michelmore. The inevitable long gaps and silences from the mission were filled by readings, sketches, and music: Judi Dench played a part in that, so did Pink Floyd, Dudley Moore , Ian McKellen and Lulu among a host of others.

At 3.56 am British time on July 21st, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon's surface. Kids around the country were roused from sleep by parents who had waited by the TV for hours. We saw that Man was walking on another celestial body, a defining moment for a generation, and one it is still moving to consider more than 40 years later.

And perhaps the most amazing feat of all was to get the three astronauts, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, safely back home.

What was the name of the mission that put the Man on the Moon?

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.