First moon landing: Timeline of the Apollo mission

May 26, 1951: President John F. Kennedy says he will send astronauts to the moon by 1970.

Jan. 26, 1962: Unmanned Ranger sent to crash into moon but misses target.

Feb. 17, 1965: Hard-lander crashes within 15 miles of planned bullseye; transmits 7,137 photos.

Nov. 6, 1966: Second of five U.S. satellites sent to orbit, map moon.

Jan. 27, 1967: Apollo 1 astronauts Edward White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee die in a launch-pad fire.

Jan. 6, 1968: Moon probe makes soft landing near crater Tycho. Photos, soil samples taken.

Oct. 11, 1968: First manned flight of Apollo 7 spacecraft.

Dec. 21, 1968: First flight to the moon carried by Saturn V rocket. Apollo 8 astronauts orbit the moon 10 times.

March 3, 1969: First flight of lunar module.

May 18, 1969: Apollo 10 flies around moon.

July 16, 1969: Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins fly to moon on Apollo 11.

July 20, 1969: Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the moon.

Nov. 14, 1969: Apollo 12 astronauts make second landing.

Feb. 19, 1970: U.S.S.R. fails fourth attempt to launch a moon rocket.

April 11, 1970: Apollo 13 moon mission aborted when oxygen tank explodes.

Jan. 31, 1971: Apollo 14 lands on the moon.

July 26, 1971: Apollo 15 makes fourth landing. First use of the lunar rover vehicle.

April 16, 1972: Apollo 16 makes fifth landing.

Dec. 7, 1972: Apollo 17 makes final moon landing.