Almost 50 years ago, in July 1969, the US astronauts Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong went to the Moon on Apollo 11 and then all safely came back to Earth again.
Astronaut Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 space mission, 1969. Photo: AFP / FILE
It was a round trip of more than 760,000 kms and it was all achieved using computers and navigational technology we'd laugh at today. No wonder it's still hailed as one of the greatest achievements in human history.
Now a new BBC series called '13 Minutes To The Moon' reconsiders the moon landing. And using gripping old audio and interviews with astronauts, scientists, engineers and Mission Control staff, it takes you inside the historic mission and shows how close it came to failure.
Kevin Fong Photo: YouTube/Screenshot
We play some of Episode 1 of '13 Minutes to the Moon' called 'We Choose to Go' and speak to the show's host Kevin Fong who wanted to be an astronaut, worked for NASA, and says his interest in space travel inspired his career in science and medicine.
'13 Minutes to the Moon' is presented by Kevin Fong and produced by Andrew Luck-Baker for the BBC World Service.
Fong wasn't even alive at the time of the moon landing in 1969, but he was fascinated by space and of course he heard all about it and followed other Apollo missions as a child. He's now an anaethasist and once applied to be an astronaut and also worked for NASA for a while.
“It's without doubt one of the if not the most impressive feats of exploration in the history of our species, you can't say otherwise really, no one else has done that.
“No human being has ever travelled faster or further and it was really a watershed moment in history, which saw us come together as a crew of people to achieve this hugely complex task in an amazingly short period of time.
"Someone once said of Neil Armstrong that he is one of the few figures of the 20th century who has an outside chance of being remembered in the 30th century. And I think that tells you everything,” Fong told Richard Scott.
There just one episode out so far in the 12-episode series. A new one comes out each Monday and the final episode is going to coincide with the actual 50th anniversary of the moon landing on the 20 July.
