TechnologyNorth America

The Moon landing

Jul 20, 1969

Humans walk on another world — and look back home

In depth

The Apollo programme employed 400,000 people and at its peak cost about 4 per cent of the US federal budget. It was as much a Cold War project as a scientific one — Sputnik in 1957 and Gagarin in 1961 set the agenda. Its most durable effects may be cultural: the "Earthrise" photograph from Apollo 8 and "Blue Marble" from Apollo 17 became icons of the environmental movement, making the idea of a fragile, bounded planet concrete for billions.

For children

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon while 600 million people watched on television. The onboard computer was weaker than a simple calculator today. The pictures of Earth from space changed how we think about our planet.

Connects to

The first flightDec 17, 1903
The internet's first messageOct 29, 1969

Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org