(1) Neil Armstrong is best known as being the first man to step on the moon (fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin arrived at the moon at the same time,but was the second man to actually set foot on the lunar surface). Since Armstrong was the mission’s pilot, it’s also said that he was the first person to land a craft on the moon. Apollo 11 was the name of the first manned lunar landing mission. Apollo 11 touched down on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969.