OTD In Space - July 16: Apollo 11 Launches To The Moon

On July 16, 1969, NASA astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins blasted off on their famous mission to land and walk on the moon.

Apollo 11 launched from NASA's historic launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They rode to space on top of NASA's gigantic new Saturn V rocket. Four days later, Neil Armstrong took "one giant leap" and became the first person to walk on the moon, followed by Buzz Aldrin. Michael Collins hung out inside the command module in lunar orbit while his crewmates went for a stroll, testing out their new spacesuits and collecting moonrocks.