Question

The first man who placed his foot on the moon is
1. Leonov
2. Neil Armstrong
3. Michael Collins
4. James Van Allen
5. None of the above / More than one of the above

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : Neil Armstrong

The correct answer is Neil Armstrong.

• On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 blasted off to the moon from Cape Kennedy Space Centre, Florida.
• Apollo 11's mission: To land two men on the moon & come back to Earth safely.
• Crew: Neil Armstrong (Commander), Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin (Lunar Module Pilot) and Michael Collins (Command Module Pilot).
• On 20th July 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon.
  • They landed on the moon in the Lunar Module named "The Eagle".
  • The lunar site where they landed is named "Sea of Tranquility".
• Collins stayed in orbit around the moon & performed experiments and took pictures.
• On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on the moon.
  • He and Aldrin walked there for three hours.
  • They performed experiments.
  • They picked up the moon's dirt and rocks for further study of the origin of the moon.
• They left a plaque on the moon.
• The plaque on the moon says, "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind."
• They put a U.S. flag on the moon.
• On July 24, 1969, all three astronauts came back to Earth safely.

• President of U.S.A in 1969: Richard Nixon (37th).
• The first country to land on the moon: The Soviet Union in 1959. 
  • The first artificial object to touch the Moon's surface was the Soviet Union's Luna 2, on 13 September 1959.
• Indian Lunar mission:
  • It is known as the Chandrayaan programme:
  • Chandrayaan 1:
    • Launched in October 2008.
    • It operated until August 2009.
    • The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor.
  • Chandrayaan 2:
    • Launched from: Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 22 July 2019.
    • Launching vehicle: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III).
    • Status: Crashed while landing. It comprised indigenously built lunar orbiter, lander and rover.
    • The objective of the mission: To map the location & abundance of water on the moon's surface.
  • Chandrayaan 3:
    • Mission: To attempt a soft landing of lunar surface & perform tasks assigned to Chandrayaan 2.
    • Components: A lander, rover and a propulsion module.
    • Status: To be launched in 2021.
  • Lunar Polar Exploration Mission 2024:
    • ​It is a joint mission of JAXA and ISRO to explore the south pole region of the Moon.
      •  JAXA: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
    • Components: Lander, rover
    • Status: Planning & funding of mission is in the process (as of February 2021).