Special Report

Apollo at 50: We Choose to Go to the Moon

Remembering the incredible journey of the Apollo 11 mission

NASA

Countdown to Liftoff

This lunar extravehicular visor assembly, photographed by Cade Martin at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar- Hazy Center, was worn by Neil Armstrong on the Moon in July 1969. Armstrong’s helmet visors were designed to protect against hazards, from micrometeoroids to infrared light.

What You Didn't Know About the Apollo 11 Mission

The lunar module <i>Eagle</i>, carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, ascends back up to the command module <i>Columbia</i> with Michael Collins. It is often said that Michael Collins is the only human, living or dead, who is not in this photograph.

Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins on the Past and Future of Space Exploration

A Saturn V rocket being rolled out to the launch pad for Apollo 10.

Apollo Engineers Discuss What It Took to Land on the Moon

Apollo's Legacy

The plants in lunar soil were compared to a control group of plants grown in volcanic ash and a lunar soil simulant known as JSC-1A. The lunar samples on the right do not appear as developed as the control samples grown in volcanic ash on the left.

Scientists Prove That Plants Can Grow in Soil From the Moon

Elizabeth Gamillo

On April 17, 1970, the parachutes carrying the Apollo 13 spacecraft and its crew cleared the clouds and the world breathed a collective sigh of relief.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How the Crew of the Damaged Apollo 13 Came Home

Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut and geologist, collecting samples of lunar soil in 1972. Along with Eugene Cernan, Schmitt collected about 245 pounds of material for return to Earth.

In a Single Grain of Moon Dust, 'Millions of Years' of Lunar History

Katherine J. Wu

Wait, isn’t the moon made of cheese though?

Apollo 11 Mission Memorialized With 2,200 Pounds of Butter

A rendering of the 363-foot Saturn V projection

Watch the Apollo 11 Anniversary Show That Was Projected Onto the Washington Monument

At the Museum

Pieces of Apollo: The Story of Space Exploration by the Artifacts

“This is Neil Armstrong's spacesuit. We could not take it apart,” says the museum’s curator and spacesuit historian Cathleen Lewis of the meticulous care that went into conserving the historic artifact.

Neil Armstrong's Spacesuit Returns to Public View

Celebrate Apollo 50 at the National Air and Space Museum

Videos

The Moon Landing Was the Television Event of the Decade

How Neil Armstrong Trained to Land the Lunar Module

NASA's First Chimp in Space

Technology

On April 17, 1970, the parachutes carrying the Apollo 13 spacecraft and its crew cleared the clouds and the world breathed a collective sigh of relief.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How the Crew of the Damaged Apollo 13 Came Home

None

Neil Armstrong’s Spacesuit Was Made by a Bra Manufacturer

Andrew Chaikin

Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut and geologist, collecting samples of lunar soil in 1972. Along with Eugene Cernan, Schmitt collected about 245 pounds of material for return to Earth.

In a Single Grain of Moon Dust, 'Millions of Years' of Lunar History

Katherine J. Wu

A rendering of the 363-foot Saturn V projection

Watch the Apollo 11 Anniversary Show That Was Projected Onto the Washington Monument

In 2019, 50 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit stands as one of the most significant artifacts in the world.

Neil Armstrong’s Restored Spacesuit Put Back on Display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum