30+ Historic Photos Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing

Most photos of the moonwalk show Buzz Aldrin, as Armstrong was taking photographs using a Hasselblad camera.

Buzz Aldrin and the U.S. Flag on the Moon

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses for a photograph beside the deployed United States flag during an Apollo 11 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) on the lunar surface. The Lunar Module (LM) is on the left, and the footprints of the astronauts are clearly visible in the soil of the Moon. Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, took this picture with a 70mm Hasselblad lunar surface camera. While astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the LM, the “Eagle”, to explore the Sea of Tranquility region of the Moon, astronaut Michael Collins, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) “Columbia” in lunar-orbit.

50th Anniversary of Apollo 11

Bright sunlight glints and long dark shadows dramatize this image of the lunar surface taken by Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the Moon. Pictured is the mission's lunar module, the Eagle, and spacesuited lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin unfurling a long sheet of foil also known as the Solar Wind Collector. Exposed facing the Sun, the foil trapped atoms streaming outward in the solar wind, ultimately catching a sample of material from the Sun itself. Along with moon rocks and lunar soil samples, the solar wind collector was returned for analysis in earthbound laboratories.

Aldrin Next to Solar Wind Experiment

Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. is photographed during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface. In the right background is the Lunar Module “Eagle.” On Aldrin's right is the Solar Wind Composition (SWC) experiment already deployed.

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon

Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin carries the Passive Seismic Experiments Package (PSEP) (left) and the Laser Ranging Retroreflector (LRRR) (right), to the deployment area. These two experiments make up the Early Apollo Scientific Experiment Package (EASEP). Image taken at Tranquility Base during the Apollo 11 Mission.

Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing

Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. is photographed deploying the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package (EASEP) during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity on the Moon. Here, he is deploying the Passive Seismic Experiments Package (PSEP). Already deployed is the Laser Ranging Retro-Reflector (LR-3), which can be seen to the left and further in the background. In the center background is the Lunar Module (LM). A flag of the United States is deployed near the LM. In the far left background is the deployed black and white lunar surface television camera.

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon

Astronaut Edwin F. Aldrin Jr. walks on the Moon near a leg of the Lunar Module during Apollo 11 extravehicular activity.

Completing the mission brought a huge sense of accomplishment to the astronauts.

Portrait of Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong inside the Lunar Module as it rests on the lunar surface after completion of his historic moonwalk.

This interior view of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module shows astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr., lunar module pilot, during the lunar landing mission. This picture was taken by astronaut Neil Armstrong prior to the moon landing.

Apollo 11 Crew

After achieving the goal of landing on the moon, the crew of Apollo 11 (Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins and Buzz Aldrin) returned home to Earth on July 24th, 1969.

 

Next: See what happened when the Apollo 11 mission came to an end and the astronauts returned home.

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Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Staff Editor and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book "Street Art Stories Roma" and most recently contributed to "Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini." You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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