The United States was the first to land a spacecraft on the moon. The landing occurred on July 20, 1969, when the Apollo 11 mission successfully landed the lunar module, Eagle, on the moon’s surface. The mission was manned by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, who became the first humans to walk on the moon. Armstrong famously declared, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” as he stepped out of the lunar module and onto the moon’s surface.