On This Day: 16 July

45 years ago, the Apollo 11 spaceflight began it’s iconic journey to the Moon. Here are five things you may not know about the Apollo landings:

1. The oldest person to walk on the Moon was Alann Shepard of the Apollo 14 mission at an ancient 47 years young.

2. The first words spoken on the Moon was the technical: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” NOT the classic ‘Giant Leap for Mankind’ line.

3. The Apollo computers had less processing power than today’s mobile phones.

4. Over 100 items were left on the lunar surface after Apollo 11 as Aldrin and Armstrong made room for rock samples in their landing craft.

5. The Moon is moving further away from Earth at around 3.8cm (1.5 inches) a year.

Man on the moon, Apollo 11, NASA, Saturn 5, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, 16 July 1969,

Man on the moon, Apollo 11, NASA, Saturn 5, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, 16 July 1969,