Apollo 11 spacecraft before launch, 16th July 1969. This footage shows the retraction of the launch tower's swing arm, used by the crew to board the cone-shaped command module prior to launch. The Apollo 11 mission was launched from pad 39a at Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, USA and was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. Crew members were Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Buzz Aldrin. Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the Moon's surface on July 20th and collected lunar material, while Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command module. They returned to Earth and landed in the Pacific Ocean on July 24th.