The primary goal of the Apollo missions was to land humans on the Moon and safely return them to Earth. Initiated by NASA in the 1960s, the Apollo program aimed to demonstrate U.S. capabilities in space exploration amidst the Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union, especially following the Soviets’ success with Sputnik and the first human in space. Apollo 11, in 1969, marked a historic achievement when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface. The missions advanced scientific knowledge and technological innovation, significantly impacting future space exploration efforts.