BOSTON (WHDH) - Saturday marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and people across the country are planning to celebrate the big milestone.
On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission put the first man on the moon.
Footage from the mission shows Neil Armstrong taking the first steps on the moon and he said, “that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Armstrong’s historic steps were taken 6 hours after the initial lunar landing officially ended the space race.
An estimated 650 million people worldwide tuned in to watch the spacewalk.
One viewer says, “I was 12 years old and I remember sitting with my family watching on our black and white television.”
A lot of those viewers remember exactly what they were doing then those steps were taken.
Another viewer says, “Nobody could believe that it was even happening, you look up at the moon and it seems so far away.”
Several events were planned for the week leading up to the mission’s anniversary.
To commemorate the anniversary of the launch an image of the Saturn V rocket was projected onto the Washington Monument.
Armstrong’s spacesuit was unveiled at the National Air and Space Museum.
The US Postal Service also made forever stamps to celebrate the anniversary.
The nation is still celebrating the pride, the excitement, and the importance of that mission 50 years later.
Experts say they are planning a trip to get the first woman, and next man to the moon by the year 2024.
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