May 25, 1961.

U.S. President John F. Kennedy first proposes landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth by the end of the decade. Fast forward eight years later. July 20, 1969.

The world collectively holds its breath as Apollo 11’s lunar module makes a slow descent to the lunar surface.

CGTN’s John Zarrella reports.

Follow John Zarrella on Twitter @zarrellajohn

To discuss:

• Nicole Stott served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station and mission specialist on the U.S. Space Shuttle.
• Leroy Chiao flew four space missions — three on the Shuttle, and one as commander of the International Space Station.

In an exclusive interview, looking at the future of space travel:

• Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist and bestselling author. 

For more:

Elon Musk hopes to send settlers to Mars, while Jeff Bezos wants to see millions of people living on space stations https://t.co/z8pz1hW2aG

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) July 18, 2019

China and India are now significant players in space. China has sent probes to the dark side of the moon. It is planning missions to Mars and even wants to put a power plant in space. The US is rattled, says @jameswoudhuysenhttps://t.co/kxopV3gynZ

— spiked (@spikedonline) July 19, 2019

Apollo 11: Everything you need to read on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing https://t.co/kKJomK1qVo

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 18, 2019