45 years ago today Apollo 11 was launched. It was the first manned mission to land on the Moon, but not the first to leave Earth's gravitational field and enter the Moon's gravitational field. Apollo 8 orbited the Moon and made a live broadcast to Earth on Christmas Eve 1968. You can read more about this and other Christmas stories in Christmas in the Skies.

Apollo 10 went to the Moon as a dress rehearsal for Apollo 11. The crew did everything except actually land on the Moon. The Apollo 10 command module can be seen in the Science Museum in London.