Apollo 11 was the historic spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. This human spaceflight had Neil A. Armstrong as commander, Michael Collins as command module pilot, and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin as lunar module pilot. Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon, followed by Buzz Aldrin. Armstrong's famous words upon stepping onto the lunar surface were, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong and Aldrin spent about 21 hours on the lunar surface, conducting experiments, collecting samples, and deploying scientific instruments, including a seismograph and a laser ranging retroreflector.

After their activities on the Moon, Armstrong and Aldrin returned to the Lunar Module, which then ascended to rejoin Collins in the Command Module in lunar orbit. The crew then performed a transearth injection to head back to Earth. Apollo 11 safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean and was recovered by the USS Hornet.