APOLLO 11: A LANDMARK MOMENT

President Obama paid a worthy tribute on the 40th Anniversary of the first mission to the moon, Apollo 11 and welcomed at the White House Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins calling them as the "three genuine American heroes" which inspired a generation of scientists and engineers.

Forty years ago, July 20, 1969, the world was sparkled with the news of the first landing to the moon. It was the landmark moment in history when Apollo 11 led by Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. The event was the most remarkable achievements which captured the imagination of the Nation and the World.

The President also said, "I think that all of us recall the moment in which mankind finally was untethered from this planet and was able to explore the stars, the moment in which we had one of our own step on the moon and leave that imprint that is there to this day."

He also added, "We are - all of us, thankful and grateful to all of you for what you've done and we expect that there's, as we speak, another generation of kids out there who are looking up at the sky and are going to be the next Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin. And we want to make sure that NASA is going to be there for them when they want to take their journey."

Watch the timeline video of the First Mission to the Moon: