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Moon Day: July 20th

Macaroni Celebrates

July 18, 2012
July 20th is Moon Day, commemorating the date that the first manned mission to the moon, Apollo 11, landed in 1969.

  • 12 men have landed on the moon, the first two were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin from Apollo 11.
  • Apollo 11 was launched on July 16th, landed on the moon on the 20th and landed back on Earth in the Pacific Ocean on July 24th.
  • The men only spent about 2-1/2 hours on the surface of the moon.
  • Upon stepping on the surface of the moon, Armstrong said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
  • The astronauts collected soil samples, planted a US flag and left behind a bag of memorial items and extra equipment that they did not need for the return flight, in order to lighten the load.
  • When they returned to Earth, the astronauts were quarantined for 21 days as a precaution, then went on a 45-day "Giant Leap" tour all over the world. Quite a celebration!
What are you going to do to celebrate Moon Day?