The first manned mission to the moon occurred in 1969, specifically during the Apollo 11 mission, which launched from Kennedy Space Center on July 16. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were part of this historic spaceflight. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin landed the lunar module, Eagle, on the moon's surface while Collins remained in orbit. Neil Armstrong famously declared, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind," when he set foot on the lunar surface, marking a significant achievement in space exploration and human history.