The first human to set foot on the Moon was American astronaut Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969, accomplishing a historic milestone in human spaceflight during NASA's Apollo 11 mission. Armstrong, along with fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin, descended in the Lunar Module "Eagle" to explore the lunar surface for nearly two and a half hours while command module pilot Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit. This event marked a significant moment in the United States' space program, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy's goal to land on the Moon before the end of the 1960s.