50 years after the launch of the Apollo 11 mission

In this July 20, 1969 image made from television, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong steps onto the surface of the moon. Millions on Earth who gathered around the TV and radio heard Armstrong say this: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” But after returning from space, he immediately insisted that he had been misquoted. He said there was a lost word in his famous one-liner from the moon: “That’s one small step for ‘a’ man.” It’s just that people just didn’t hear it.” (NASA via AP)

Hundreds of people came to the Kennedy Space Center to celebrate the launch of the historic Apollo 11 mission, including its Astronauts Michael Collins, who lives in Collier County, and Charlie Duke.

Rich Kolko, WINK News safety and security specialist, said it was a great event recreating the launch of Apollo 11. Run so well that it felt like he was at the initial Apollo 11 launch.

Duke started his talk by saying at 83-years-old, he was still the youngest man who had walked on the moon and that it is time to go back.

More than 300,000 people were involved in building Apollo and Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong met the challenge and flew to the moon and back.

There was a shuttle program that lasted a few decades, but since the days of the Apollo missions, there has not been a person who set foot on the moon. Collins, proud of America’s success at the time, sees room for improvement.

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