July 20 is celebrated as National Moon Day. On this day, Neil Armstrong walked on the surface of the moon in the year 1969. The space community celebrates this day to commemorate the milestone achieved by the humans. Today is the 51st anniversary of Neil Armstrong's first landing on the moon.
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Why National Moon Day is celebrated?
National Moon Day is celebrated to commemorate man's first lunar landing on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 carried the first humans to the moon. Neil Armstrong spent two and a half hours on the surface of the moon on this day. This day also marks the milestone for the US to be the first country in the world to land a man on the moon.
Another astronaut, Buzz Aldrin followed Neil Armstrong and stepped on the surface of the moon. The duo collected 47.5 pounds of lunar material to bring back to Earth for research purposes. A third astronaut, Michael Collins waited in the command module till the duo returned as he was the pilot.
How to celebrate National Moon Day?
Amid the global pandemic, you can celebrate the special day at the comfort of your home either by watching documentaries on the Apollo 11 mission or visit NASA's website to explore more about the space.
National Moon Day
In the year 1971, the then President of the US, Richard Nixon proclaimed National Moon Landing Day on July 20th to honour the anniversary of man’s first moon landing. In the year 2019, the current President of the US, Donald Trump, proclaimed National Moon Landing Day on July 20th to honour the 50th anniversary of man’s first moon landing. Twelve states have sponsored the bills recognizing Moon Day but the day is not federally recognised in the United States to date.
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