On July 21, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 Moon mission, became the first person to set foot on another world. This historic spaceflight marked the culmination of the so-called Â?Space RaceÂ?, one of the major Cold War propaganda battles between the United States and the USSR, which began in 1957, when the Soviet Union shocked the world by launching the first satellite, Sputnik 1. Stung by a string of Soviet firsts in space exploration, in May 1961 President Kennedy committed the United States to achieving a human landing on the Moon by 1970: a bold goal to set at a time when AmericaÂ?s first astronaut had made only a 15 minute sub-orbital flight just 3 weeks before.

When Apollo 11Â?s Lunar Module Eagle, with its crew, mission commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Col. Edwin Â?BuzzÂ? Aldrin, landed on the Moon, it effectively gave the United States the victory in the Space Race, as the Soviet Union had not been able to mount a successful lunar programme of its own. But the success of Apollo 11 was more than just a Cold War propaganda victory: when Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface at 12.56pm Eastern Australian time and uttered his famous words Â?ThatÂ?s one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for MankindÂ? he was fulfilling a centuries-old dream.

The desire to journey into the heavens is as old as humanity and the dream of travelling to the Moon has inspired poets and storytellers since Roman times. But it was not until the 20th Century that the technology to achieve spaceflight was developed and scientists and engineers looked forward to achieving this long-held goal. Apollo 11 therefore represented not just a Cold War political prize, it was also the accomplishment of an ancient Human aspiration: for the first time, people had left our home planet Earth and travelled to another world in the solar system.

Australia played an important part in all the Apollo missions, with NASA tracking stations at Carnarvon (WA) and Honeysuckle Creek and Tidbinbilla (ACT) providing vital communication links with the Apollo spacecraft. In particular, the Apollo 11 Moonwalk images broadcast to the world were received at Honeysuckle Creek and the Parkes radio telescope.

Model, lunar module, Apollo 9 spacecraft, metal / plastic / textile, made by Grunman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, Long Island, New York, United States of America, 1968.

A model of the lunar module (also known as the lunar lander) which was part of the Apollo 9 spacecraft. The model is made of metal and plastic and has been fixed to a circular plastic mount. Green felt covers the underside of the mount. The module consists of two stages, the ascent stage which forms the top half of the model and the descent stage which forms the bottom half of the model. Both the ascent and descent stages a have been painted beige. The American flag appears toward the front of the descent stage. Antenna and radar receivers on top of the module are reprsented by plastic dishes and pieces of wire. The model sits on four metal legs that have been painted silver. Attached to the bottom of each leg is a metal dish. The leg at the front of the model has a ladder down its length.

Made: Grunman Aircraft Engineering Corporation; Long Island, New York, USA; 1968

Black text on the model below the American flag reads 'UNITED STATES'. On the models mount, below the logos of 'Grunman' and 'NASA' is white text that reads 'LUNAR MODULE'.

B1729

1968

190 mm

260 mm