TIM MAGUIRE

Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes first man to walk on the moon.

On June 3, 1965, 120 miles above the Earth, Major Edward H. White II opens
the hatch of the Gemini 4 and steps out of the capsule, becoming the first
American astronaut to walk in space.

SANDY KOZEL

On this day in 1970, an oxygen tank exploded on Apollo 13,
preventing a planned moon landing.

TIM MAGUIRE

Originally scheduled for 12 March 1970, Apollo 13 left the launch 
Pad at 2:13 EST 11 April 1970.

The crew of Apollo 13: from left – James A. Lovell, Jr, John L.
Swigert, Jr., and Fred W. Haise, Jr.

On this day in 1969, Apollo 11, the U.S. spacecraft that had taken the
first astronauts to the surface of the moon, safely returned to Earth and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.

United States President Richard Nixon was in the central Pacific recovery area
to welcome the Apollo 11 astronauts aboard the USS Hornet, prime recovery
ship for the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, on July 24, 1969. The
Apollo 11 astronauts are, from left, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz
Aldrin. They were quarantined after splashdown to ensure they did not bring
back any contamination from the moon.