Humans first walked on another world 45 years ago

Half a billion people flocked to televisions as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon 45 years ago Sunday, watching the extraordinary moment from around the world.

A few hours later, on the evening of July 20, 1969, in the United States, the astronauts opened the hatch to the Eagle lunar module and stepped onto the moon's unexplored landscape.

Armstrong's immortal words and the grainy video beamed back to Earth will forever occupy a crucial chapter in history -- the moment when humans first visited an alien world.

Spaceflight Now presents a catalogue of photos from the Apollo 11 archive at NASA's history office.

Apollo 11 launched from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 9:32 a.m. EDT on July 16, 1969.
Credit: NASA
 

Earthrise from lunar orbit prior to landing. Credit: NASA
 

Lunar module inspection after undocking. Credit: NASA
 

Crater 308 viewed from orbit. Credit: NASA
 

Lunar module pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. Credit: NASA
 

Flight controllers during lunar module descent. Credit: NASA
 

View from LM window just after landing. Credit: NASA
 

Aldrin exits the lunar module. Credit: NASA
 

View of the lunar module skirt and descent engine nozzle. Credit: NASA
 

Aldrin at the base of the ladder. Credit: NASA
 

Aldrin erects solar wind experiment. Credit: NASA
 

Aldrin salutes the U.S. flag. Credit: NASA
 

Aldrin's boot and footprint in lunar soil. Credit: NASA
 

Neil Armstrong works at the LM. Credit: NASA
 

LM ladder and commemorative plaque. Credit: NASA
 

Aldrin stands beside LM strut and probe. Credit: NASA
 

Aldrin poses for portrait. Credit: NASA
 

LM footpad and contact probe. Credit: NASA
 

Aldrin unpacks experiments from LM. Credit: NASA
 

Aldrin carries experiments for deployment. Credit: NASA
 

Aldrin assembles seismic experiment. Credit: NASA
 

Armstrong photo of LM from a distance. Credit: NASA
 

Armstrong inside the lunar module after the first moonwalk. Credit: NASA
 

Flag and TV camera viewed from LM window. Credit: NASA
 

Lunar module approaches the command and service module for docking with Earthrise in background. Credit: NASA
 

View of the full lunar disc during the return trip. Credit: NASA
 

Closeup of Earth and the terminator. Credit: NASA
 

Mission control celebrates after Apollo 11's return. Credit: NASA