The Most Compelling Photo of the Moon Landing
As Buzz Aldrin descended the lander’s ladder, Neil Armstrong captured the moment.
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series reflecting on the Apollo 11 mission, 50 years later.
For 18 minutes and maybe 19 seconds, only one human being had ever set foot on the surface of the moon. Neil Armstrong made his famous one small step, and then started unpacking the most important thing the astronauts brought with them: a 70-mm color camera.
Armstrong’s first shot, per the instructions taped to his wrist cuff, the landing area, including one leg of the lunar lander Eagle. He pivoted to take a panorama, showing the terrain where he’d touched down as the spacecraft burned precious fuel. He was so caught up in the first moments of moon-based photography that
