On a Tranquil Sea

Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin backs out of the Lunar Module "Eagle" just hours after he and crewmate Neil Armstrong became the first men to land on the Moon, on July 20, 1969. During a moonwalk that lasted less than three hours, Armstrong and Aldrin gathered rocks and soil, set up three experiments, and took a phone call from President Richard Nixon. They lifted off from the Sea of Tranquility the next day to rejoin Michael Collins, who had waited in lunar orbit aboard the Command Module, for the trip back to Earth. [NASA/Ed Hengeveld]