UN celebrates International Moon Day; Here are some of the historic firsts from Earth

The astronomical community is celebrating International Moon Day on July 20 to commemorate the anniversary of NASA's Apollo 11 mission which landed the first humans on the Moon. On this day in 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin conducted their Moonwalk, becoming the first batch of astronauts to ever step foot on the lunar surface. This day was declared International Moon Day by the United Nations (UN) in its resolution 76/76 on “International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space” in 2021.

While the last Moon landing took place in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission, NASA's Apollo program paved way for a number of expeditions that created many firsts of their own. Here's a quick look at some of the historic missions from Earth.

The Apollo 11 moon landing

It was on July 20 at 10:56 p.m. EDT (8:26 am IST on July 21), when Armstrong planted his left foot on the lunar surface, and followed up with his historic statement, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind". After Armstrong's touchdown, Aldrin followed him 19 minutes later while the third crew member Michael Collins remained in the Columbia module in the lunar orbit. 

The duo spent 21 hours and 36 hours on the lunar surface, gathered around 21.5 kg of rock and soil samples and boarded the Eagle module to dock with Collins who orbited the Moon alone the entire time. 

China lands first spacecraft on the Moon's far side

China became the first country to land a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon under its Chang’e 4 mission in 2018. The far side of the Moon is the one that is not visible from Earth and is always in darkness. China also brought back the samples collected by the Chang'e 4 mission, analysis of which confirmed the presence of water in the Moon's 'Ocean of Storms' region.

India confirms the presence of water from lunar orbit

In October 2008, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its first lunar probe-- Chandrayaan 1-- which provided insights into the composition of lunar soil and became the first mission to confirm the presence of water from the lunar orbit. Notably, India launched its second lunar mission-- Chandrayaan 2-- in July 2019 this time with a lander carrying a lunar rover. The mission, however, failed to fructify as the lander crash landed just minutes ahead of touchdown. 

European Space Agency (ESA) launches first mission to the Moon

In September 2003, the European Space Agency launched its first probe named SMART-1 to the Moon ensuring Europe's participation in lunar exploration. With multiple instruments on board, the SMART-1 spacecraft helped investigate the lunar surface and study the chemical compositions. The European scientists also tested multiple mission control technologies such as the use of advanced ion propulsions.