July 20, 1969: Man Lands On The Moon

It was a magic moment in human history. This was the day 40 years ago that the first humans landed on the Moon. Everyone remembers where he or she was when this momentus event happened. I was just 7 years old then and vacationing with my parents up in cottage country in Muskoka, Ontario.

This video captures the famous speech which President Kennedy gave on May 25, 1961 that inspired the Apollo missions.



This is a modified version of the Apollo 11 insignia which incorporates a photo of the actual LEM (Lunar Excursion Module), otherwise known as the Eagle.



With a thunderous roar the powerful Saturn V rocket propelled the Apollo 11 crew from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida into the depths of the great unknown on July 17, 1969.



This was the live video transmission as the Eagle descended to the lunar surface. Even though the Moon is our closest celestial neighbour at about 384,000 km from Earth, it still takes light about 1 1/3 seconds to traverse this distance. Any transmission going to the Moon or coming back from the Moon would therefore be slightly delayed. Hence, the pauses which were experienced during the conversations between the astronauts and mission control.



Did you know that there was a Canadian connection to the Apollo program? Discover how in the video below.