The first man on the Moon
In 1966, the unmanned Soviet space probe Luna 9 landed on the Moon. But it was not until three years later that the first human set foot there. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong of the Apollo 11 mission landed in an area of the Moon called the Sea of Tranquillity. Armstrong descended from the lunar module, claiming 'one small step for man one giant leap for mankind'. Thousand of samples of Moon rock and soil were collected, and hundreds of photographs taken, before Apollo 11's three-man crew returned safely to Earth. In all, only 12 people have so far set foot on the Moon.