After a four-day journey from Earth, Apollo 11 touched down on the moon on July 20, 1969. Six hours later, U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong opened the hatch of the lunar
Five more successful crewed landing missions would follow—all carried out by the United States—with the final one, Apollo 17, in 1972. Little did anyone know then that half a century would pass without any other humans visiting the moon. But the drought may soon be over.