72020 New York State Reading Association Charlotte Award Master List In 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued a challenge to the nation: land astronauts on the moon by the end of the decade. The Apollo program was designed by NASA to meet that challenge, and on July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin Aldrin. Apollo 11's prime mission objective: Perform a manned lunar landing and return. Four days after take-off, the Lunar Module Eagle, carrying Armstrong and Aldrin, separated from the Command Module Columbia, and descended to the moon. Armstrong reported back to Houston's Command Center, The Eagle has landed. America and the world watched in wonder and awe as a new chapter in space exploration opened. Through verse and informational text, author Rhonda Gowler Greene celebrates Apollo 11's historic moon landing.