"One small step for man - one giant leap for mankind" - Neil Armstrong's unforgettable words as he stepped off the Apollo 11 capsule and on to the moon. Thirty years on, the Apollo missions are the stuff of legend, and have inspired a generation to go on to explore further into outer space.The space race The Apollo missions were born from hurt pride: the Soviet Union was winning hands down in the race to the Moon. The United States finally took up the gauntlet, and issued a challenge that many thought impossible: to land the first man on the Moon's surface.
"The Eagle has landed" With these famous words, Mission Control in Houston breathed a sigh of relief. The Eagle - the capsule of Apollo 11 - had a heart-stopping last few minutes before touching down gently on the surface of the moon. It was the first time a spacecraft carrying human beings had ever visited another world.
Walking on the moon Everyone who watched from Earth as Neil Armstrong stepped out of the capsule and on to the Moon remembers where they were at the time. It was one of the defining moments of the twentieth century, and one of man's greatest achievements.
The legacy of Apollo When Apollo 11 returned to Earth, President Nixon said, "It's all over." The planned Apollo missions were scaled down, and only six more rockets would fly to the Moon. But the hundreds of kilograms of samples brought back by Project Apollo have told us how the Moon was formed, and how it can be exploited in the future.
Multimedia Watch the magical moment when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the Moon, and read the front pages, as millions of moon-struck people on Earth did thirty years ago.
President Kennedy's speech announcing Project Apollo
Watch Apollo 11 touch down
Steve Bales, Buzz Aldrin and Charlie Duke talk about their thoughts during the touchdown
Armstrong's first steps on the Moon
The crew of Apollo 16 walks on the Moon
Read all about it
Click on a thumbnail below for a taste of history - newspaper frontpages from the historic day.
Friday, 23 July, 1999, 13:38 GMT 14:38 UK 
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