Apollo 11

Thirteen days before Apollo 11 lifted off, the Soviet Union's N1 rocket had destroyed its own launch complex at Baikonur in the largest non-nuclear explosion in the history of rocketry.

On 16 July 1969, SA-506 lifted from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center with no such difficulty, placing 45,702 kg — the combined mass of the command module, service module, and lunar module — on a trajectory to the Moon. The crew of three reached lunar orbit four days later.

The Eagle touched down on the Sea of Tranquility on 20 July. Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface six and a half hours later, with Edwin Aldrin following nineteen minutes after that. The two spent approximately two and a half hours on the surface and collected 21.5 kg of lunar material.

The crew splashed down in the Pacific on 24 July after 8 days, 3 hours, and 18 minutes. SA-506 was the sixth of thirteen Saturn V flights.