Apollo 11, From Planet Earth, 1969
Close-up view of the one and one-half inch silicon disk which will be left on the moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts. The disk bears messages of goodwill from heads of state of many nations. The process used to make this wafer is the same as that used to manufacture integrated circuits for electronic equipment. It involves making tiny photographic images and depositing metal on the images. The Kennedy half-dollar illustrates the relative size of the memorial disk. Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first two people on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours later on July 21; Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later. They spent about two hours together outside the spacecraft, and collected 47.5 pounds of lunar material to bring back to Earth. Command module pilot Michael Collins flew the command module Columbia alone in lunar orbit while they were on the Moon's surface. Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21.5 hours on the lunar surface before rejoining Columbia in lunar orbit
