In 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy had a challenge for NASA – and the nation. The challenge was to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade. The race to meet his goal would require the greatest technological achievements the world has ever seen. The first Apollo missions were spent getting ready for the moon landing. Apollo 8 and Apollo 10 even flew all the way to the moon, around it, and back to Earth. Finally, everything was ready. On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

On July 20 at 4:18 p.m. EDT, the Lunar Module Eagle touched down on the Moon at Tranquility Base. Astronaut Neil Armstrong reported "The Eagle Has Landed." And at 10:56 p.m. EDT, Armstrong, descending from Eagle's ladder and touching one foot to the Moon's surface, uttered these famous words:

"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, with “The Apollo Legacy: The Moon and Beyond” on Monday, July 20 at 11:30 a.m. MDT in Ricketson Auditorium.

Do you remember where you were when Apollo 11 landed?  Leave us your story below!