The first person to land on the Moon was American astronaut Neil Armstrong. He stepped onto the lunar surface on July 21, 1969, at 02:56 GMT during the Apollo 11 mission, becoming the first human to walk on the Moon in the area called the Sea of Tranquility

. As he took his first step, Armstrong famously said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"

. Neil Armstrong was the commander of Apollo 11, accompanied by lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin, who joined him on the surface about 19 minutes later. Meanwhile, Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard the command module

. The Apollo 11 mission marked a historic achievement fulfilling President John F. Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth before the end of the 1960s