Mars gains a robotic satellite

Armstrong and Aldrin landed in the Sea of Tranquility while Collins remained in lunar orbit.

The landing prepared for direct observations and sample collection by human explorers on the Moon.

Michael Collins piloted the command module while the lunar module descended to the surface.

The landing was a milestone in human exploration of the solar system; the first steps took place later in UTC on 21 July.

The spacecraft became the first human-made object to orbit another planet.

The new orbit enabled prolonged planetary study, although a global dust storm initially limited surface views.

Mariner 9 showed how staying in orbit could reveal much more than a single passing encounter.

Designed and built in India, the country’s first satellite was launched on a Soviet rocket.

Aryabhata began a new phase in India’s scientific and engineering space work.

The launch from Kapustin Yar illustrates international cooperation in the early Indian space program.