Journey to conquer the moon

Forty years ago, on July 20, 1969, two American astronauts successfully landed on the moon, marking a new era in the history of human conquest of the universe.

Three months before the historic flight, three Neil Armstrong astronauts, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins took pictures with the moon model.On the model there are all craters that astronomers already know in that period.(Photo: NASA)

Buzz Aldrin (left) and Neil Armstrong (right) practice how to sample rocks on the moon in a NASA training center on April 18, 1969.The process includes: taking a picture of a stone, putting a stone in a bag, taking a picture of the stone's location.Later the two astronauts obtained 21.7 kg of rock on the moon, but not enough time to perform the sampling operations they had practiced.(Photo: NASA)

The Apollo 11 spacecraft was launched into space on July 16, 1969.(Photo: NASA)

Everyone followed Apollo 11 until it disappeared in the sky.(Photo: NASA)

Dr. Kurt Debus - director of the Kennedy Space Center - shook hands with members of the center that controlled the Apollo launch after the ship successfully took off.(Photo: NASA)

Eagle landing chamber - with two astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin inside - landed on the moon.Meanwhile Colin had a duty to stay on the ship.(Photo: NASA)

Astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped down from the landing compartment to become the first man to set foot on the moon.(Photo: NASA)

Shortly after leaving the landing cabin ladder, Neil Armstrong said: "This is a small step of a human being, but a great step forward of humanity."(Photo: NASA)

Two astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin put the American flag on the moon.(Photo: NASA)

Everyone in Houston's control center tracks the steps of two astronauts on the moon.(Photo: NASA)

Astronaut Buzz stands near the landing compartment on the moon.(Photo: NASA)

The helicopter took three astronauts onto the USS Hornet aircraft carrier after their ship fell into the Pacific Ocean.The three astronauts wore biological isolation clothes before leaving the spaceship to guard against the risk of carrying pathogens from the moon.(Photo: NASA)

They then entered the mobile isolation device on the aircraft carrier in the welcome of US President Richard Nixon.(Photo: NASA)

The control cabin of the Apollo 11 was picked up on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet.(Photo: NASA)

The mobile isolation device was removed from the USS Hornet carrier to Hawaii.(Photo: NASA)

It was then put on a military transport plane to Ellington air base.Astronauts return to Houston after 3 weeks in a mobile isolation device.(Photo: NASA)

Tens of thousands of people marched in New York City on August 13 to welcome three astronauts back from the moon.(Photo: AP)

The specimen container that two astronauts took on the moon was taken to NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center.(Photo: NASA)