NEIL ARMSTRONG

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.

Texas political leaders usually settle for caution. The big stuff is risky, but it’s also possible — and even inspiring — to see leaders ignoring the small stuff and aiming higher.

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.

NASA fought to keep 'the only Apollo sample that can be legally sold' out of private...

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.

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.

Jeff Bezos will blast into space next month on Blue Origin's first flight with a crew, becoming the first person in the world to ride his own rocket.

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.

AUSTIN, Texas U.S. Army officials on Tuesday said that the body of a Fort Hood solider was found near the Texas army base, marking the third time in a month that a Fort Hood soldiers body has been discovered. Mejhor Morta, 26, was found unresponsive July 17 in the vicinity of Stillhouse Hollow Lake, according to Fort Hood officials. Morta's awards and decorations include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. Then on July 1, U.S. Army officials found more human remains, which were later identified as 20-year-old missing Fort Hood soldier Pfc. Vanessa Guillen, near the Leon River in Bell County, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Fort Hood.

The Apollo 11 capsule launched atop a Saturn V rocket, taking humans faster and farther than they had ever gone before. KPRCs Space Reporter Rose-Ann Aragon spoke with the former Apollo Flight Simulator Instructor, Frank Hughes. Or sometimes you just knew that they didnt know that procedure as well as they wish they would have. We had two people sitting there for Apollo 11, and we would just work as a team. So, in the simulator, we would be flying and doing these maneuvers, going faster and faster, and leave for the moon.

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. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the crew capsule atop will soar from the same pad used for both of those earlier missions. Russias workhorse Soyuz capsules, still in use after a half-century plus, have kept NASA astronauts flying to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The first astronauts launched by SpaceX are breaking new ground for style with hip spacesuits, gull-wing Teslas and a sleek rocketship all of it white with black trim. 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.

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.

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.

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. After all, Armstrong himself was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and raised in various towns across the state before leaving to explore outer space. But the Apollo 11 mission is not the only anniversary that the fair has recognized. The Ohio State Fair runs through August 4.

WAPAKONETA, Ohio -- Saturday marks exactly 50 years since Apollo 11 landed on the moon. His colleague, astronaut Sunita Williams, is still at NASA, doing the same work in the public sector. "Five Ohio astronauts have been part of that celebration, along with one of the Navy Frogmen who saved Apollo 11 after splashdown and rescue its three astronauts. And our job was to save the moon rocks by putting a flotation device around the capsule, and then save the astronauts, then save ourselves," Mallory said. We've got lots of astronauts, we've only got one bag of moon rocks.

CINCINNATI - An Ohio hospital paid the estate of astronaut Neil Armstrong $6 million in a confidential agreement to settle allegations that post-surgical complications led to Armstrong's 2012 death, according to court documents and a report in the New York Times. The 2014 settlement went to 10 family members, including Armstrong's two sons, sister, brother and six grandchildren, according to documents filed with the Hamilton County Probate Court in Cincinnati which were publicly available on Tuesday. Armstrong's sons, Mark and Rick, contended care provided by Mercy Health-Fairfield Hospital cost their father his life, according to the New York Times. Messages were left for Armstrong's widow and sons, and for Wendy Armstrong, Mark's sister and a lawyer involved in motions to seal the settlement. Most of the settlement, about $5.2 million, was split between Armstrong's sons.

"We knew we needed to get the bobbleheads," said Elizabeth Carlson.Carlson and her husband Ken dressed up all the way wearing space hats. They were lucky enough to get the Orbit "moon landing" bobblehead and a shirt but they missed out on the hat. "He made my day," said Mr. Fitzmaurice.That's because 83-year-old Bob Fitzmaurice worked for NASA for 14 years. "We would put (the astronauts) on television and beam them out to the school and it was 2-way audio and 2-way video," he said. "The kids could talk to astronauts and astronauts to the kids.

"We knew we needed to get the bobbleheads," said Elizabeth Carlson.Carlson and her husband Ken dressed up all the way wearing space hats. They were lucky enough to get the Orbit "moon landing" bobblehead and a shirt but they missed out on the hat. "We would put (the astronauts) on television and beam them out to the school and it was 2-way audio and 2-way video," he said. "The kids could talk to astronauts and astronauts to the kids. "I remember when I was younger, going to NASA to see him work being introduced to a bunch of astronauts," said his son.It was a special night many will remember for years to come.

HOUSTON - Fifty years after his father took his first steps on the moon, Rick Armstrong took his first steps on the mound at Minute Maid Park for Apollo 11 Night. Minute Maid Park sold out Monday night for what was the third Apollo 11 Night for the Astros. In 1979, on the 10th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, a commemoration night was held at the Astrodome. "People are really excited about Apollo 11 Night," Astros President Reid Ryan said about the 50th anniversary celebration. Limited-edition Orbit Apollo 11 bobbleheads sold out, and fans lined up in the morning to buy special-edition Apollo 11 Astros hats.

WEBSTER, Texas - Fifty years ago, the world was still in celebrating Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's historic walk on the moon. But before the landing, Aldrin took part in a very spiritual celebration by taking communion inside the lunar lander. Five decades later, Webster Presbyterian Church paid tribute to the astronauts the same way it did in 1969. "In this service today, we'll do it like that service then, without a benediction because the service isn't over until Buzz has taken communion," said Helen DeLeon, associate pastor at Webster Presbyterian Church. Anderson led the communion and preached in honor of Aldrin.

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.

Space Officials Looking to Future As Moon Craft Rockets for HomeHouston Chronicle front page morning edition on July 22, 1969 with the Apollo 11 update. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Space Officials Looking to Future As Moon Craft Rockets for Home 1 / 1 Back to Gallery(As it appeared in the Houston Chronicle Vol. 282 Houston, Texas, Tuesday July 22, 1969 Morning Edition)As Apollo 11 rocketed homeward today from its incredible adventure on the Moon, space officials praised the mission and began looking to the future. November LaunchApollo Program boss Lt. Gen. Samuel Phillips says Americas second expedition on the Moon, Apollo 12, will be rescheduled for a mid-November launch. It is now expected that future Apollo flights, which had been scheduled two months apart, will be flown every four months.

Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Apollo Breaks Out of Earths Pull 1 / 3 Back to Gallery(As it appeared in the Houston Chronicle, Vol. Apollo 11 must pass a series of checkpoints, known in space agency jargon as go -- no go decisions. The 5-minute firing was designed to increase the speed of the Apollo 11 from 17,500 to 25,000 mph. Apollo 11 must pass a series of checkpoints, known in space agency jargon as go -- no go decisions. The 5-minute firing was designed to increase the speed of the Apollo 11 from 17,500 to 25,000 mph.

They Splash Down Into History - Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins SafeSpacecraft Tips Upside Down After LandingHouston Chronicle front page on Thursday July 24, 1969, Evening Edition. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins are back and safe. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins are back and safe. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close They Splash Down Into History - Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins SafeSpacecraft Tips Upside Down After Landing 1 / 1 Back to Gallery(As it appeared in the Houston Chronicle Vol. 912 Miles from HonoluluThe spacecraft tipped upside down after splashing into the Pacific 912 miles southwest of Honolulu.

HOUSTON - On the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, Space Center Houston is doing it big. At Space Center Houston - RIGHT NOW! Apollo 11 50th Live Celebration of the historic moon landing. Space Center Houston also hosted panel sessions with flight controllers who explained their roles on the mission. Space Center Houston will hold events until the anniversary of the Apollo 11 splashdown July 24.

EMBED >More News Videos Watch the moment Neil Armstrong uttered his famous 'one small step' line on the surface of the moon in 1969. At the same time halfway around the world, an American and two other astronauts blasted into space on a Russian rocket. And in Armstrong's hometown of Wapakoneta, Ohio, nearly 2,000 runners competed in "Run to the Moon" races. "At the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Gilda Warden sat on a bench and gazed in awe at the Apollo 11 command module, Columbia, on display. Morgan explained in a NASA interview that Apollo 11, and now his flight, represents "an accomplishment of the world and not one single country."

On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped down from Apollo 11's lunar module onto the surface of the moon, the first human in history to do so. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave a speech to Congress, asking for a robust space exploration program that would put a man on the moon. "Kennedy's dream was realized in 1969 with Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins' successful voyage. "The trio returned to Earth as heroes, with their successful voyage considered one of the greatest accomplishments in history. Since then, humanity's exploration of space has broadened exponentially, with Armstrong and the Apollo 11 crew's journey having inspired countless generations to reach for the stars.

Apollo Moon Landing Astronaut Neil Armstrong did something no one had ever done before. What did Neil Armstrong really say when he took his first step on the moon? Millions on Earth who listened to him on TV or radio heard this :"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." He said there was a lost word in his famous one-liner from the moon: "That's one small step for 'a' man." "I thought about it after landing," Armstrong said about his famous line.

Fifty years ago today, Apollo 11 went down in history. Nearly 600 million people watched on July 20, 1969, as astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took the first footsteps on the moon.Space Center Houston is marking the iconic anniversary and with an entire day of activities. The "Apollo 11 50th Live" festival features tram tours to Rocket Park and the Apollo Mission Control Center, book signings, a family STEM zone, and much more.ABC13 community journalist Chaz Miller visited Space Center Houston as the celebration kicked off this morning.

While descending, he released the Modularized Equipment Stowage Assembly on the Lunar Module's descent stage. A camera on this module provided live television coverage of man's first step on the Moon. On this, their one and only EVA, the astronauts had a great deal to do in a short time. After spending approximately 2 hours and 31 minutes on the surface, the astronauts ended the EVA at 1:11:13 a.m. EDT on July 21. "Five more missions would take men to the surface of the moon - Apollo 13 had to be aborted because of an explosion - before Project Apollo came to a premature end, the last three flights on the schedule scrapped.

KPRCAs Houston celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission, were looking back at some of the stories we have been able to tell leading up to the big day through our special website. Here are a few of our favorites:The Apollo 11 lunar landing is a moment that changed history. Fifty years later, key leaders, such as Apollo 11 Lunar Landing Flight Director Gene Kranz, remember it as if it were yesterday. One member of the crew aboard the Apollo 11 Mission had a special personal moment before his historic walk on the moon. From Space City USA to our nations capital to Cape Canaveral, Florida, 50 years later the Apollo 11 mission is being remembered and celebrated.

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.

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.

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.

Its also the day 50 years ago that the Apollo 11 mission entered the orbit of the moon. If you missed our Apollo 11 anniversary special that aired Wednesday, you can watch it on-demand and get other great content about the mission at Click2Houston.com/Apollo. Read moreThief uses tow truck to steal vehicle outside doctor's office in southeast HoustonKPRC Thief uses a tow truck to steal vehicle outside a doctor's office in southeast Houston. A bold thief stole an SUV out of the parking lot of a doctor's office and the theft was caught on camera. Read moreEverything you need to know about Space Center Houston's Apollo celebration(Photo: Space Center Houston)Space Center Houston is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with a special event Saturday night.

Its also the day 50 years ago that the Apollo 11 mission entered the orbit of the moon. If you missed our Apollo 11 anniversary special that aired Wednesday, you can watch it on-demand and get other great content about the mission at Click2Houston.com/Apollo. Read moreThief uses tow truck to steal vehicle outside doctor's office in southeast HoustonKPRC Thief uses a tow truck to steal vehicle outside a doctor's office in southeast Houston. A bold thief stole an SUV out of the parking lot of a doctor's office and the theft was caught on camera. Read moreEverything you need to know about Space Center Houston's Apollo celebration(Photo: Space Center Houston)Space Center Houston is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with a special event Saturday night.

Apollo 11K and Saturn 5K runs are "go" at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Armstrong descended the nine-rung ladder first, his left boot, size 9, touching the lunar surface at 10:56 p.m. Aldrin followed him out 18 minutes later. Five more missions took men to the surface of the moon - Apollo 13 had to be aborted because of an explosion - before Project Apollo came to a premature end, the last three flights on the schedule scrapped. The first lunar landing, at least, lifted America's spirits - indeed, the planet's - when it needed it. "The Vietnam War, civil strife, racial strife, all kinds of stuff going on that was bad, which I wasn't paying much attention to because I was working so hard in the space world.

Michael Collins was a crack test pilot, too, but also a wordsmith who described the trio as "amiable strangers." "Apollo 11 was a little different than some of the other flights," Collins explained. Armstrong left NASA two years after Apollo 11 and taught engineering at the University of Cincinnati until 1979. After Apollo 11, Aldrin spent years struggling with mental depression and alcoholism. Collins left NASA six months after Apollo 11.

Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin (R) and Michael Collins (L) and Neil Armstrong's son Rick Armstrong (2nd L) join U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence as they commemorate the 50th anniversary ofCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins reunited Friday on the eve of the 50th anniversary of humanity's first moon landing. The president asked if astronauts could get to Mars without first going back to the moon. He noted that the Apollo 11 command module and attached lunar module went straight into lunar orbit and even separated and redocked around the moon. 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.

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."

"Aldrin, meanwhile, said he's disappointed with the state of human space exploration the past 10 or 15 years. He noted that the Apollo 11 command module and attached lunar module went straight into lunar orbit and even separated and redocked around the moon. "Aldrin and Armstrong, who died in 2012, landed on the Sea of Tranquility at 4:17 p.m. on July 20, 1969. Postal Service, meanwhile, issued its "1969: First Moon Landing" Forever stamps Friday at Kennedy.NASA televised a two-hour show Friday afternoon remembering Apollo 11 but also looking forward to its future moon plans. "It was the thrill of my life to have him there for the launch," Thomas said.

Film footage of the most famous "space family" in history has never been seen before -- until now.

The Visitor Complex will host the Apollo 11 Launch Flashback Event on July 16 beginning at 7:30 a.m. Special Apollo guests will address the audience as the 9:32 a.m. launch time approaches. To commemorate the experience, patrons will receive a Pepsi hand fan, Apollo 11 trading cards, a 50th anniversary booklet, an exclusive Moon Pie product, an Apollo lanyard and badge and a collectible pin. Apollo Moon Landing Astronaut Neil Armstrong did something no one had ever done before. A $300 package includes admission to the Visitor Complex and other perks.

Or sometimes you just knew that they didn't know that procedure as well as they wish they would have. Let's face it: They didn't know. We didn't know. That's a whole different thing you do if you're going to be a pilot. Actually, he put up a lot of zingers, one-liners, and if you didn't know what the hell he was talking about, he kind of just wrote you off.

In honor of the 50th anniversary celebration of Apollo 11 below is a timeline as told by NASA with the most important highlights during the eight-day mission. Additionally, the first color TV transmission occurred from Earth to Apollo 11 during the translunar coast of the command and service module/lunar module. July 19, 1969At this point in the mission, Apollo 11 had flown behind the moon and out of contact with Earth. The second burn that followed later for 17 seconds placed the docked vehicles into a lunar orbit of 62 by 70.5 miles. July 20, 1969Armstrong and Aldrin both entered the lunar module again.

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. Luckily for us, Oreo decided the moon tastes like marshmallows. The official anniversary of the moon landing is July 20, so you better get your hands on these far-out cosmic treats.

HOUSTON – United’s Terminals C and E at George Bush International Airport will be celebrating the Apollo 11 anniversary by offering special entertainment within the terminals, flight perks and exclusive dining and MileagePlus offers. Ember and Tanglewood Grille have special Apollo 11 menus featuring food that the astronauts ate on board. There will be of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages to celebrate Apollo 11, including Tang-infused cocktails. Additionally, on the anniversary of the first TV transmission from Earth into space, United is hosting a Space City celebration flight from Newark into Houston. One of the experiences includes VIP access to Space Center Houston’s Apollo 11 50th anniversary celebration.