Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the moon. On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin. On July 21, Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon, followed shortly by Aldrin. During their two and a half hours on the lunar surface, the astronauts collected samples and conducted experiments. They returned safely to Earth on July 24, 1969, achieving the goal of putting humans on the moon and advancing scientific understanding of our natural satellite.