Apollo 11 Astronauts
Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong, and Edwin Aldrin were selected to be pioneers in space exploration. These three courageous men left their home planet to venture where no man had dared before: the Moon.
Neil ArmstrongNeil Armstrong was the first man to step on the Moon. He was the commander of the mission. Armstrong landed the Lunar Module onto the Moon's surface. He underwent 4 years of rigorous training.
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Edwin "Buzz" AldrinAldrin was a Lunar Module pilot and was the second man to step onto the Moon. He and his partner Armstrong collected samples to bring back to Earth. Two craters, 6470 Aldrin and the Aldrin Crater were named after him.
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Michael CollinsCollins was the Command Module pilot on the Columbia. While Aldrin and Armstrong landed on the moon, he remained in lunar orbit on the Columbia. He successfully reunited the two modules, but is sometimes called the "forgotten" astronaut because he didn't walk on the moon.
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All three astronauts along with John Glenn received the honorable Presidential Medal of Freedom along with many other accolades upon return to home.