
Apollo 11: The Mission That Made History
Special | 2m 58sVideo has Closed Captions
On July 20, 1969, humanity achieved the unthinkable.
On July 20, 1969, humanity achieved the unthinkable. Apollo 11, NASA’s landmark mission, saw astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the lunar surface, while Michael Collins orbited above in the Command Module. Star Gazers host Trace Dominguez explores this historic journey, from liftoff to splashdown, and reflects on how it changed our view of the universe forever.
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Star Gazers is presented by your local public television station.
Funding provided by The Batchelor Foundation and The William J. & Tina Rosenberg Foundation

Apollo 11: The Mission That Made History
Special | 2m 58sVideo has Closed Captions
On July 20, 1969, humanity achieved the unthinkable. Apollo 11, NASA’s landmark mission, saw astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the lunar surface, while Michael Collins orbited above in the Command Module. Star Gazers host Trace Dominguez explores this historic journey, from liftoff to splashdown, and reflects on how it changed our view of the universe forever.
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Today we're looking back at# one of humanity's greatest achievements, Apollo 11, the first mission to land people on the Moon.# On July 20th, 1969, the world held its breath as astronauts set foot on the Moon for the very# first time.
Here's a look back at the mission.
Apollo 11 launched on July 16th, 1969# from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The crew rode the massive Saturn 5 rocket,# still one of the most powerful machines ever built.
The astronauts were Neil Armstrong, mission# commander, Buzz Aldrin, the lunar module pilot, and Michael Collins, command module pilot.# After a three-day journey through space, Armstrong and Aldrin climbed into the lunar# module Eagle, and began their descent to the Moon's surface.
It wasn't easy.
Eagle's onboard# computer was overloaded, alarms were sounding, and Armstrong had to take manual control# to avoid boulders and craters.
But finally, on July 20th of 1969, Armstrong radioed# the very first of his famous lines.
"Houston, Tranquility base here.
The Eagle has landed."
"Tranquility, be advised there are lots of#smiling faces in this room and all over the#world.
Over."
Moments later, Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the Moon, followed by# Buzz Aldrin.
Together, they spent over 2 hours exploring, collecting samples, and setting up# experiments while Michael Collins orbited alone above, piloting the command module.
After their# historic moonwalk, Armstrong and Aldrin blasted off from the surface and rejoined Collins in# orbit.
The three astronauts then fired their engines to head home.
A few days later, Apollo 11# splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, completing a journey of over 240,000 miles each way.
Apollo# 11 wasn't just a mission to the moon.
It was a turning point for space exploration.
For the first# time, humans proved we could leave Earth, land on another world, and return safely.
It changed how# we see ourselves, not as separate nations, but as one species capable of reaching beyond our planet.# And Apollo's legacy continues today.
NASA's Aremis program, named after Apollo's twin sister in# Greek mythology, is building on that foundation where Apollo showed it could be done.
Artemis# is about going back to stay with sustainable lunar exploration, international crews, and# eventually missions to Mars.
In many ways, Apollo 11 was the first step, and Artemis is the# next giant leap.
So, next time you see the moon, remember it's more than just a bright light in our# night sky.
It's a reminder of what humanity can achieve when we dream big and we work together.# Stay tuned here for more on how the Aremis mission will continue the story from where Apollo left# off.
And remember, Star Gazers, keep looking up.
Do you want to know more about the night sky,# space exploration, astronomy?
Let us know down in the comments what you want to know.
And in# the meantime, click this video to learn more.

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Star Gazers is presented by your local public television station.
Funding provided by The Batchelor Foundation and The William J. & Tina Rosenberg Foundation