Apollo 11 Plaque

Close-up view of the plaque which the Apollo 11 astronauts left on the Moon in commemoration of the historic lunar landing mission. The plaque was attached to the ladder on the landing gear strut on the descent stage of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module (LM).

The plaque was covered with a thin sheet of stainless steel during flight. Astronaut Michael Collins, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit while astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander, and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot, explored the moon. The plaque says: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind."