July 2019

July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and the first human footsteps on the moon. In speeches President Kennedy gave to congress on May 25, 1961 and at Rice University Stadium in Texas on September 12, 1962, he pushed for the United States to commit to landing astronauts on the moon by the end of the decade. The effort to accomplish this mission required around 400,000 people and $25.4 billion dollars (approximately $177 billion today).

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has a variety of information about the Apollo 11 mission, including audio, video, and images. You can listen to President Kennedy’s speeches here from the Kennedy Presidential Library.

View NDSU Libraries' guide on NASA and the Apollo Moon Landings for more information on NASA and the Apollo moon landings. Looking for summer reading or movies to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11? The guide includes books and movies you can check out such as the recent Hidden Figures book and movie, a memoir by Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins, and a science fiction novel by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin.