On a Wednesday morning on July 16, 1969, a fervent crew of three astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin, Jr ., was launched by a Saturn V rocket amid controversy. Apollo 11 departed Cape Kennedy into Earth orbit after Columbia, the service module, attached to the Lunar Module Eagle and continued the group's journey to the Moon. On July 20, Apollo 11 approached the crater satellite after hovering in its orbit for twenty-four hours. Armstrong and Aldrin reportedly strolled on the lunar surface upon the lunar module's arrival at Tranquility Base, reporting to Armstrong: "The Eagle has landed." While descending the Eagle's Ladder, Armstrong uttered his famous words: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" ("The First Moon Landing"). After returning to Earth at a high speed of 25,000 miles per hour, Aldrin, Armstrong and Collins parachuted safely into the Pacific Ocean on July 24. At a post-flight press conference in the auditorium of the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin recall aspects of their adventure, from the undocking process to flag-laying and finally the return trip, while presenting photographs (“The First Lunar Landing”). When Buzz Aldrin returned, he fell victim to severe depression and alcoholism, losing touch with his heroism and falling into a stage he described as a "downward spiral" (Aldrin & Abraham 271). As for the other men of the Apollo crew, they returned to their usual lives, amid the fame and glory of the American public. Americans across the country tuned into the news channels on their televisions and watched...... middle of newspaper.......com/EBchecked/topic/628478/Vietnam-War>."The first landing on the Moon. The first lunar landing. Np, and Web. February 20, 2014."The Moon Hoax Debate." The moon hoax debate. Rocket and Space Technology, and the Web. Apr. 21, 2014. “Was the Apollo Moon Landing Fake?” » Was the Apollo Moon landing a fake? American PatriotFriends Network, nd Web. April 27, 2014. .Weiner, Rachel. “Russians still skeptical about US moon landing.” The Huffington Post.TheHuffingtonPost.com, July 19, 2009. Web. April 18, 2014. “Vietnamization.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, and Web. April 21. 2014..