On July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon. He said the historic words, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." To walk on the moon's surface, the astronauts needed to wear a space suit with a back mounted, portable life support system. This controlled the oxygen, temperature and pressure inside the suit. On the surface, the astronauts had to get used to the reduced gravity. They could jump very high compared to on Earth.
The crew spent a total of two and a half hours on the moon's surface. While on the moon's surface, they performed a variety of experiments and collected soil and rock samples to return to Earth.
An American flag was left on the moon's surface as a reminder of the accomplishment.
**Do you remember where you were doing that fateful event?**
