United States – On 24 July, the world will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the landing of Apollo 11 on Moon. This is an opportunity to recall this legendary program.

The Apollo program was launched in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. He had intended to send men to the moon before the end of the decade. In the middle of Cold War, the United States wanted to compete with the USSR who managed to put the first satellite into orbit , Sputnik 1 in 1957.

Since 1968, several flights were launched into space with a crew on board. These men were looking for life in terrestrial orbit and lunar. They developed the specific techniques that will make an optimal stay live for those who arrive on the moon.

It was at this same period, the first photographs of space, impressive, reached us. With onboard cameras, the crew of this mission photographed Earth from space.

The first mission that landed on the Moon was launched on 16 July 1969. Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin were on board , who were the first to set foot on Moon five days later. The first words of Neil Armstrong remain engraved in history: “It’s a small step for man but one giant leap for mankind.”

Three other shuttles of  Apollo mission were sent to the moon later to explore the surface and to collect information about the natural satellite of Earth. The last one dates back to 1972, with Apollo 17.

Man on Moon 40 years back