Moon landing, 21 July 1969. Composite image depicting US astronaut Neil Armstrong (born 1930) descending the ladder of NASA's Apollo 11 lunar module (LM-5 Eagle), and preparing to be the first human to set foot on the Moon. The Earth is at upper left. Armstrong exited the lunar module at 02:39 UTC, beginning his descent 12 minutes later at 02:51 UTC. The controls on his chest obstructed his view of his feet. While descending the 9-rung ladder he pulled a ring to start a camera. At 02:56 UTC he stepped off the lunar module onto the Moon's surface, uttering the famous words: 'That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.'