The day commemorates the anniversary of the first landing on the lunar surface by humans.

"That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - said Neil Armstrong after stepping on the moon's surface on July 20, 1969.

July 20 each year is observed as International Moon Day to honor the anniversary of the first landing of humans on the Moon. On this very date back in 1969, US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (as part of the Apollo 11 mission) made history when they stepped on the surface of the moon as the first humans. The accomplishment further paved the way for more discoveries and research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(Credit: historyhit)

As NASA stated, "In a harrowing descent marked by program alarms from an overloaded computer and freezing fuel lines, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in Apollo 11 safely landed in Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquility) on July 20, 1969. They walked on the moon for over 2 hours, collecting rocks and soil and laying out experiment packages."

The United Nations passed a resolution in 2021 on "International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space", which states that International Moon Day should be held worldwide on July 20. The day aims to "educate and promote the sustainable utilization and exploration of the Moon and the need for regulations of activities on and around the lunar planet".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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To mark this occasion today, let's watch the video shared by NASA that zooms in on Neil Armstrong's footprints on the moon's surface after more than 50 years.

Neil Armstrong's Footprints on Moon Surface After Over 50 Years

Last year, on International Moon Day, NASA shared a visual of Neil Armstrong's current footprints on the moon's surface. Taken by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the video zooms in on the moon to focus on Armstrong's footprints.

 

The US space agency said in a statement, "Today marks the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing – the first time that humans stepped on the surface of another world. This video from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the astronauts' tracks, still there after all this time."

 

It’s #InternationalMoonDay! Today marks the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing – the first time that humans stepped on the surface of another world. This video from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the astronauts' tracks, still there after all this time. pic.twitter.com/LVDkFeEcYP

— NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) July 20, 2022

 

The video took the internet by storm.

NASA further elaborated on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter which has been exploring the Moon since 2009. It stated, "It has returned more data to Earth of any other planetary mission – nearly 1.4 petabytes! For perspective, that’s about half a million hours of movies."