Forty-two years ago today, America achieved the seemingly impossible by putting a man on the moon.
On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 space shuttle touched down on the moon, and America became the first nation to plant its flag on the planet.
Today, we wait as America’s last shuttle soars for one more day before putting an end to the nation’s manned space program.
Apollo 11 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 16, 1969, in hopes of making history in the realm of space exploration. Four days later the Eagle had landed, and shuttle commander Neil Armstrong uttered the famous phrase, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
While former President George W. Bush wanted to return American astronauts to the moon, President Obama has ordered NASA to concentrate instead on landing an asteroid on Mars.
With the International Space Station completed, the American shuttle fleet — Discovery, Endeavour, and Atlantis — will likely hit the museum circuit.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.