Fifty years after humans first stepped foot on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, NASA is celebrating the historic launch of the Saturn V rocket.
The mission had one objective: to perform a crewed landing on the moon and return that crew back to Earth. It was a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy.
On July 16, 1969, millions people turned on their televisions to watch this goal begin to come into fruition. After a 2 1/2 hour chekout period, the Saturn V soared into the sky from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. Neil Armstrong was the commander, Michael Collins was the command module pilot and Edwin "Buzz" Adlrin was the lunar module pilot. Armstrong and Aldrin would be the first two people on the moon.
[PHOTO GALLERY: Minutes leading up to historic Apollo 11 launch]
It was a mission years in the making, the launch itself taking only minutes to accomplish. With a successful launch into orbit, Apollo 11 paved the way for the future of space exploration.
Below, you’ll find a timeline of the moments leading up to the launch, and a minute-by-minute breakdown of the iconic launch.