“That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” is one of the most iconic quotes in American history. NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Association, has a rich history that includes the Apollo 11 mission and its astronauts. Apollo 11, the first moon landing, was a significant American achievement and a major historical event. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayNASA was founded by President Eisenhower on October 1, 1958. It was a response to the Soviet Union in the space race. Four reasons NASA was developed are space research and explanation, national defense, national pride, and scientific or technological value. Three days after NASA was founded, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite, which gave them the lead in the space race. Sputnik had a “Pearl Harbor effect” on the United States and forced Americans to provide more funding for space research. When the Soviet Union sent the first man into space, the United States was shocked. John F. Kennedy set a goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s because he believed the United States was more technologically advanced than the Soviet Union. The Apollo 11 astronauts were key components in the defeat of the Soviet Union in space. Competition. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin played an integral role in the completion of the Apollo 11 mission. He was selected during NASA's third batch in 1963, and in 1966 he was part of the last mission of the Gemini program. He was the second man to set foot on the moon along with Neil Armstrong. He spent about 20 hours on the moon. Before working with NASA, he returned to the Air Force where he had previously worked. He was the only other person to walk on the moon besides Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission. Neil Armstrong became interested in flying at the young age of two because his father took him to the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. He started taking flying lessons at the age of 15. He attended them in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Before he could even drive, he earned his student pilot's license after just a year of flying lessons. Immediately after finishing high school, Armstrong received a scholarship from the United States Navy and began studying aeronautics at Purdue University in 1949. He was part of the second class of astronauts chosen for NASA in 1962. He is best remembered for being the first person to set foot on the moon. Michael Collins was the third astronaut to join the Apollo 11 mission, but he never set foot on the moon. Prior to NASA, Collins attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He was an experienced fighter pilot and test pilot at the Air Force Flight Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California. He was part of the third group of astronauts selected for NASA in 1963. He was best known for being the command module pilot of Apollo 11. Apollo 11 was the first successful mission to land a man on the moon, and it was an important event in world history. On Wednesday, July 16, 1969, a 363-foot-tall silver Saturn 5 rocket was placed on launch pad 39A at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft lifted off the ground at 9:32 am. Just two minutes after liftoff, the spacecraft was 30 miles in the air. Subsequently, the first phase was separated due to staging and ignition. Immediately afterwards the second stage ignited. At around 9:45 am, the spacecraft had completed a full orbit around the Earth. After the separation of the third stage,the spacecraft's speed increased to 17,432 miles per hour. At 00:49, Columbia, the lead spacecraft, separated from the lunar module and Saturn's third stage. The lunar module's connection was lost, so Columbia and Eagle continued on alone. The spacecraft had to start turning slowly to spread the "warming effect" of the Sun. There was a small course correction maneuver. It was during a 73 hour coast. Michael Collins had to find more stars, but he found the task challenging. The minor course correction was completed at 12:17 on 17 July. An astronaut named James Lovell was commander of the capsule in Houston and was in communication with Buzz Aldrin. He had previously been Aldrin's partner in 1966 during the Gemini 12 mission. They talked about the difference between the Gemini 12 spacecraft and the Apollo 11 spacecraft. They also talked about how much work it was to live on and maintain a spacecraft. In addition to this, the astronauts placed the spacecraft in "barbecue mode", which meant that the Sun would remain facing one side of the spacecraft for approximately eighty hours. The next day, July 18, the crew prepared to pass through a tunnel-shaped tunnel. the command module to the lunar module. They would check to see if he survived the journey. Buzz Aldrin held a camera as they passed. Millions of Americans watched him nervously on television. Everyone was eager and excited to see what would happen next. On July 19, at 1:28 pm, the spacecraft's engine was turned on for six minutes. It helped slow the spacecraft in the moon's gravitational pull. The crew delightedly watched their first glimpse of the moon and the landing site. At around 5.45pm, the engine was fired again to help frame the lunar orbit into a more circular orbit. The spacecraft would undertake a 61 x 74 mile orbit every couple of hours. July 20, 1969 was the legendary day that would be remembered in history as the day the first moon landing occurred. Around 9:30 Buzz Aldrin entered the lunar module. At approximately 1.45pm, the lunar module separated from the command module which slowly remained in orbit around the Moon while Michael Collins was still on board. At 3:08 a.m. on July 21, the descent engine was turned on in the lunar module and it began to lower and set over the moon. As Armstrong was about to land on the moon, two computer alarms were triggered. They proceeded to push the automatic guidance system into disarray, and it was guiding the spacecraft towards a large crater. Armstrong took manual control and managed to land the lunar module on the surface of the moon at 4:15 in the afternoon. Armstrong and Aldrin donned lunar suites. At 10:39 p.m., Armstrong steadily descended the ladder to the surface, where Armstrong proclaimed the iconic phrase: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong captured photos of the moon's surface and took samples of lunar dust. Armstrong placed a plaque on the moon that read "Here men of the planet Earth first set foot on the moon, July 1969 A.D. We have come in peace for all mankind." Aldrin planted an eight-foot pole with a 3x5 American flag attached to the moon's surface. At 11:47 pm Aldrin and Armstrong spoke on the telephone with President Nixon. Nixon praised, "For every American, this must be the proudest day of our lives." Nixon spoke from the Oval Room of the White House and continued to praise them for their epic feat. Around 1 a.m. on July 21, 1969, Buzz Aldrin reentered the lunar module. At 1 p.m., Armstrong and Aldrin prepared to.