50 Years Later: Apollo 11 on the “CBS This Morning” podcast

Apollo 11: Moonshot and Liftoff

On July 16, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins blasted off into space towards the moon, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot. Historian Douglas Brinkley discusses the significance of President Kennedy’s ambitious goal — landing a man on the moon and returning him safely by the end of the decade — and how it accelerated the space race with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The podcast also speaks with two of Apollo 11’s flight directors, who share how even they thought JFK’s goal was “semi-crazy.” Also, hear what the three astronauts told “CBS Evening News” anchor Walter Cronkite and other reporters just two days before liftoff.