A message on my landing leg
A plaque was attached to a strut behind the Lunar Module's ladder. Armstrong and Aldrin unveiled it and read its inscription aloud:
“Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the Moon July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”
The plaque marked the landing as a moment in human history, not just a technical achievement.
Six descent stages left behind
Six Apollo missions successfully landed astronauts on the Moon: Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17. Each left its Lunar Module descent stage on the lunar surface. The descent stages were not designed to return to Earth; they served as landing structures and launch platforms for their ascent stages.
Can we still see them?
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has photographed Apollo landing sites from lunar orbit. Its images show the landing areas and hardware left behind.
Mission details are based on the NASA/NSSDCA Apollo 11 Lunar Module / EASEP record supplied for this project.