Science & Tech
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On July 20, 1969, President John F. Kennedy's mandate that America go to the Moon was fulfilled when Apollo 11's lunar module Eagle touched down in the lunar Sea of Tranquility. As astronaut Michael Collins orbited in the command module Columbia, Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander, spoke his famous words as he stepped onto the surface of the Moon and became the first human to set foot upon it before a television audience of unprecedented scope. During their brief two and a half hours of exploration, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin gathered samples of lunar rocks and dust, planted an American flag onto the lunar surface, and conducted scientific experiments while discovering how best to move about in the Moon's low-gravity environment. Upon their return to Earth, the crew was immediately quarantined to avoid spreading possible lunar microbes, and almost three weeks later they were released, healthy and anxious to go home, to a heroes' welcome.
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