12 photos that capture the wonder of Apollo 11

By Jessica Boddy

Posted on Jul 18, 2019 7:10 PM EDT

Man on the moon with an American Flag
Half a century ago, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins took a trip to the moon. Science has come a long way since then—we sent a spacecraft to sample an asteroid, have robots crawling on the surface of Mars, and just inked a plan to ship a drone to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Regardless, looking back, Apollo 11 still inspires that remarkable sense of accomplishment and wonder. Check out these historical photos from the mission to see for yourself.
Apollo 11 Launches
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the Apollo 11 Lunar Module
The Eagle Prepares to Land
Apollo 11 Moonwalk
Buzz Aldrin Deploys Apollo 11 Experiments
Crater 308 on the Moon
Buzz Aldrin on the Moon
Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong
Apollo 11 Comes Home
Triumph After Splashdown of Apollo 11
Apollo 11 Astronauts Relax Following Successful Mission
Apollo 11 Welcome