Only Two of the Three Apollo 11 Astronauts Walked on the Moon

Apollo 11 carried three astronauts to the Moon, but only two of them set foot on it. NASA’s mission overview names the crew as Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin flew the lunar module Eagle down to the surface. Armstrong stepped onto the Moon first, and about 20 minutes later Aldrin followed him. Collins had a different job. He piloted the command and service module, Columbia, which stayed in lunar orbit, and the other two returned to it after leaving the surface. So the answer to how many people walked on the Moon during the first landing is two, even though the crew numbered three.