One Giant Leap For Mankind

On July 20, 1969, I was among half a billion people watching on television as Neil Armstrong planted the first human foot on another world. What he said is legendary: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," words scripted on a banner I hung above my bed in our home in Livingston.

My children today are as enchanted with space as I was as a 9-year-old girl. They dream of exploring Mars and conducting experiments on the International Space Station. Two weeks ago, my son watched the f from the Kennedy Space Center. A few years ago, he met Buzz Aldrin, who joined Armstrong on the lunar surface. “Magnificent desolation,” Aldrin said describing the moon. Funny, Stephen described meeting the famous astronaut (who grew up in nearby Montclair) as “magnificent.”

On the moon, the first lunar explorers left behind an American flag, a patch honoring the fallen Apollo 1 crew, and a plaque on one of Eagle's legs. It reads, "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind."

In remembrance of this historic day, we've posted these magnificent photos of the moon and the YouTube video of the first moon landing of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."