Apollo 11

On 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the surface of the Moon. This ‘giant leap’ marked the culmination of the Space Race and the first time human beings had set foot on another body beyond Earth.

Below you’ll find everything you need to know about the historic Apollo 11 mission: the story behind the landing; interviews with some of the people involved; how to tackle Moon landing conspiracy theories and the future missions that will return human beings to the lunar surface.

Buzz Aldrin stands on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Credit: NASA

Apollo 11 The story of the moonlanding

Gene Cernan test drives the lunar rover at the landing site of Apollo 17. Credit: NASA

Where did the Apollo astronauts land on the Moon?

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In pictures Apollo behind the scenes

Apollo astronaut John Young during the Apollo 16 spacewalk. Credit: NASA

Apollo Moon landing conspiracy theories crushed

Ryan Gosling stars as Neil Armstrong in First Man. Credit: Universal Pictures

Film and TV reviews

Radio Times Apollo 11 on-screen: TV, film and radio celebrating the moonlanding

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin practise taking photos of a lunar sample area. Credit: NASA

10 facts about the Apollo Moon landing missions

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The science of Apollo

How the Moon landing missions have changed our understanding of the Universe

A solar prominence captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA

Apollo Moon rocks could reveal the history of our Sun

Apollo 11 lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin pictured on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 moonwalk. Credit: NASA

How the Apollo Moon landings changed the world forever

Samples collected from rocky areas of the Apollo 11 landing site like this laid the basis for much of what we know about the Moon. Credit: NASA

What have the Apollo 11 lunar samples taught us about the Moon?

Read more about the Apollo programme

Moonlanding history

History of the moon landing

History Extra The history of the moonlanding

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In pictures Apollo behind the scenes

JFK-Focus

Science Focus “We choose to go to the Moon”: Read JFK’s Moon speech in full

24 July 1969. The command module is lowered onto the deck of the USS Hornet to be prepared for transport back to the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in Houston. At the top are the three air sacks that inflated to right the module when it came to rest upside-down after splashdown. Credit: NASA

In pictures Apollo 11's return to Earth, 24 July 1969

Podcasts

Interviews and discussions exploring the legacy of the Apollo missions

Buzz Aldrin descends the ladder of the Lunar Module to become the second human to set foot on the surface of the Moon. Credit: NASA

Radio Astronomy Podcast Apollo 11: 50th anniversary special

Lunar Module pilot James B Irwin gives a military salute during at the Hadley-Apennine landing site, on the Apollo 15 mission. The Lunar Module 'Falcon' is in the centre of the image and on the right is the Lunar Roving Vehicle. Credit: NASA

Radio Astronomy Podcast Talking Apollo moonwalkers with author Andrew Smith

FOCUSCARD

Science Focus Podcast Why is the Moon landing still relevant 50 years on?

Apollo people

Stories and interviews focussing on some of the individuals involved in the Moon landing

Flight light controllers celebrate the conclusion of Apollo 11 on Jul 24, 1969. Credit: NASA

Apollo 11 Mission Control: the people behind the Moon landing

The launch of Apollo 9 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in 1969.
Credit: NASA

Interview Former NASA scientist David Baker

Director Rory Kennedy during one of the many expert interviews carried out for Above And Beyond, a new documentary looking at the history of NASA since the Apollo missions. Image Credit: Discovery Channel

Interview Filmmaker Rory Kennedy discusses her uncle's Moon landing legacy

(1) Jack UF ROTC 1962

Interview Apollo engineer Jack Clemons

Roger-Launius-NASA

Interview Former NASA historian on the history of space exploration

Why is Mars known as the Red Planet?

Why is Mars red?

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Apollo stories

The Apollo 11 crew peer out of their mobile quarantine facility in Houston, after being flown back to the US mainland. Credit: NASA

Why were Apollo 11 astronauts put in quarantine?

Cosmonaut Aleksey A. Leonov (left) and astronaut Thomas P. Stafford during crew training at Star City, near Moscow, for the Apollo-Soyuz mission. Credit: NASA

Saturn V The rocket that put men on the Moon

Apollo 11 mission patch Credit NASA

The Apollo 11 mission patch: how it came to be

Apollo 11 on TV

One of the mission's biggest achievements was broadcasting the lunar landing for the world to enjoy

Patrick Moore and the rest of the Sky at Night team report on the Apollo 11 moon landing. Credit: Alex Green/Folio Art

Sir Patrick Moore’s memories of Apollo 11

Children gather round a television set in America, circa 1960s. Similar scenes would have played out all around the world when people got together to watch the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Credit: H. Armstrong Roberts, Getty Images

Where were you when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon?

Apollo 11 lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin pictured on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 moonwalk. Credit: NASA

Apollo 11 on TV: how NASA filmed the moonlanding

Apollo in the movies

Ryan Gosling pictured playing Neil Armstrong in the Apollo 11 biopic First Man. Credit: Universal Pictures

Film and TV reviews

Film review: Ryan Gosling stars as Neil Armstrong in First Man

operation-avalanche

Film and TV reviews

Operation Avalanche

The enigmatic presence of flight director Gene Kranz (right) in Mission Control was important in steering the Apollo missions to success.

Film and TV reviews

Film review: Mission Control

Return to the Moon?

Future missions may take astronauts back to the lunar surface as a stepping stone to Mars

One possible ‘Moon village’ being considered by NASA and ESA. This is a multi-dome lunar base with inflatable domes. Copyright ESA/Foster + Partners

Planetary exploration: living off the land

Jeff Bezos pictured with a model of Blue Origin's Blue Moon lunar lander. Credit: Blue Origin

Will NASA return humans to the Moon? We asked a space exploration expert

An artist's impression showing the spacecraft that will form the foundation of the Gateway, NASA’s lunar orbiter that it hopes will help send astronauts to the Moon's surface once again. Credits: NASA

Going back to the Moon: how humanity can repeat the success of Apollo