The 40th Anniversary of Man's First Steps on the Moon

July 20, 2009

Forty years ago on July 20, 1969, the world watched as the crew of Apollo 11 took the first steps on the surface of the moon. President Barack Obama commemorated the anniversary by inviting astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin to the White House to honor their achievement.  During the event, President Obama said, “I think on this 40th anniversary, we are -- all of us thank and grateful to all of you for what you've done, and we expect that there's, as we speak, another generation of kids out there who are looking up at the sky and are going to be the next Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrins.  And we want to make sure that NASA is going to be there for them when they want to take their journey.”

For more information, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Celebrating-the-40th-Anniversary-of-the-Mans-First-Steps-on-the-Moon