Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin provided an uplifting message for all people of Earth.
Posting on Twitter Saturday, the former lunar module pilot celebrated the “impossible” mission that put Aldrin and commander Neil Armstrong on the moon more than five decades ago.
“Exactly 51 years ago, we were on our way to the Moon!” Aldrin wrote. “There was a sense of excitement, focus, purpose and anticipation. America was on the verge of completing the ‘impossible.'”
Exactly 51 years ago, we were on our way to the Moon! There was a sense of excitement, focus, purpose and anticipation. America was on the verge of completing the “impossible.” pic.twitter.com/2iUotlALqr
— Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) July 18, 2020
Aldrin, Armstrong (who died in 2012), and Michael Collins were aboard Apollo 11 when it launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969. Aldrin and Armstrong landed the lunar capsule Eagle on the moon’s Sea of Tranquility four days later as Collins orbited above.
On Thursday, Aldrin said the mission was a “journey of a lifetime” that pushed human civilization forward.
“Today represents a truly important day in the history of humankind — we lifted off from Earth on #Apollo11 to a place of Magnificent Desolation — the Moon,” Aldrin tweeted. “It was the journey of a lifetime, a mission of eternal consequence for science, exploration, and human achievement.”
Today represents a truly important day in the history of humankind – we lifted off from Earth on #Apollo11 to a place of Magnificent Desolation – the Moon. It was the journey of a lifetime, a mission of eternal consequence for science, exploration, and human achievement. pic.twitter.com/m9g3aR25Q9
— Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) July 16, 2020
More than 600 million people are estimated to have watched the two men land on the moon.
