HOUSTON: The Lunar Module of Apollo-11 carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin Jr. landed on the moon in the Sea of Tranquillity at 1:17 a.m. WPST on Monday [July 21].

Earlier, the Lunar Module had separated from the Command Module, being piloted by the third astronaut, Michael Collins, at 10:47 p.m. WPST on Sunday. It began its descent shortly thereafter... The astronauts steered the Module almost straight down for the final 75 feet. Probes protruding about three feet below the Module’s foot pads touched the Moon surface. A signal light flashed on inside the Module and the astronauts shut down the engine.

Softly, the Module settled on the Moon — one hour since it separated from the mothership and four days since Apollo-11 was launched on Earth. Now the two astronauts begin a ten-hour rest period at the end of which the flight commander, Armstrong, will open the hatch of the Module, climb down a ladder to step down on the moon surface at 11.17 a.m. WPST today, thus becoming: the first man to do so. He will be followed 22 minutes later by Aldrin.

Armstrong and Aldrin, 240,000 miles away from their home planet, called Earth and their nation, the United States of America, came to a dusty landing on the Moon’s surface, the first men to touch its maiden soil.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2019