247. [Apollo 11] BUZZ ALDRIN CLIMBING DOWN THE LM EAGLE LADDER TO MAKE HUMANITY'S FIRST STEPS ON ANOTHER WORLD Neil Armstrong, 16–24 July 1969 Printed 1969. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS11-40-5868]. With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS11-40-5868" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context This iconic Apollo 11 photograph, taken by Neil Armstrong from the lunar surface, captures an eager Buzz Aldrin descending the ladder of the Lunar Module Eagle. This image symbolizes humanity's arrival on another world—the culmination of a decade-long effort under NASA's Apollo program. It remains a milestone that reshaped our understanding of exploration, technology, and human potential. On July 20, 1969, as two astronauts ventured into the unknown, the entire world watched history unfold. "We opened the hatch and Neil, with me as his navigator, began backing out of the tiny opening. It seemed like a small eternity before I heard Neil say, 'That's one small step for man...one giant leap for mankind.' In less than fifteen minutes I was backing awkwardly out of the hatch and onto the surface to join Neil, who, in the tradition of all tourists, had his camera ready to photograph my arrival." Buzz Aldrin (NASA SP-350, p. 215) Leaving the ninth rung, Aldrin hops down to the LM footpad 19 minutes after Armstrong. On Earth, his weight—including the spacesuit and the mechanism-filled Portable Life Support System—totalled 360 lbs., but in the Moon's weak gravity, he weighed only 60 lbs., allowing for a light, bouncing motion. From the mission transcript when the photograph was taken: 109:41:56 Aldrin: I'm on the top step and I can look down over the RCU (Remote Control Unit) and (garbled) landing gear pads. It's a very simple matter to hop down from one step to the next. 109:42:18 Armstrong: Yes. I found I could be very comfortable, and walking is also very comfortable. 109:42:28 Armstrong: You've got three more steps and then a long one. 109:42:42 Aldrin: Okay. I'm going to leave that one foot up there and both hands down to about the fourth rung up. Literature LIFE, 11 August 1969, National Geographic, December 1969, pp. 738-739 LIFE, 8 August 1969, p. 20 TIME, 8 August 1969, p. 23 Moon: Man's Greatest Adventure, Thomas, ed., p. 193 Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts, Jacobs, p. 56 Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon, Reynolds, pg. 144 Apollo Expeditions to the Moon (NASA SP-350), Cortright, ed., p. 214.