Apollo 11 made the first manned lunar landing on July 20, 1969. Col. Michael Collins orbited the Moon in the mother ship Columbia. Neil Armstrong and Col. Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., touched down on the Sea of Tranquility in the Lunar Module Eagle with the historic report: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Armstrong was first out of the lander. Dropping the last meter from the ladder, he said: "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."