On 20 July 1969, NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the lunar surface. Armstrong descended the ladder of the Lunar Module Eagle at 02:56 UTC and declared: *"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."*
Michael Collins orbited above in the Command Module Columbia. The crew splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean on 24 July, completing the mission set by President Kennedy in 1961.