On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 launched into space carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the lunar surface, and became the first humans to walk on the moon. Pictured: "Earthrise" over the moon, with the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) heading to the surface, as seen from Collins' vantage point in the Command Module. Collins, alone in the Command Module, remained in orbit for the two-and-a-half hours that Armstrong and Aldrin were on the surface, rendezvousing with them before the four-day journey home.