U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., issued a statement and video tribute containing National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) footage and vintage news coverage to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, which occurred on July 20, 1969.
 
In a video recorded on July 16, Isakson recalled watching the news coverage of the historic moment with his wife, Dianne, and their friends at a cookout in Atlanta, Georgia. His statement follows:
 
“In one moment, we were all bound together by an unbelievable act that had never been done in the history of the world. When Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon, it was an unbelievable achievement and a great day for our country. President Kennedy set a goal for us, and we were able to accomplish something nobody thought we would be able to do.
 
“Great achievements like those are few, but they are the types of victories that demonstrate the leadership we provide the rest of the world. And we realize the dreams that we want to accomplish in the future, just like we did 50 years ago today. We are inspired by new goals as we perpetuate our American ideals: to be the leader of the free world and dreamer of all mankind.”
 
Saturday will mark the 50th anniversary of this historic achievement. The crew, comprised of NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, launched on July 16, 1969, and landed on the moon four days later. Collins orbited the moon in the command module while Armstrong and Aldrin landed Apollo 11’s lunar module, Eagle, and became the first humans to set foot on the moon.
 
Full statement from Isakson:
 
“It was such a great day for our country, such an unbelievable achievement. It ended up leading to so many things we hoped, and even more things than we could have dreamed of. It was just the most fantastic experience I ever had in my life to sit on the patio in Atlanta, Georgia, and look up at the sky and look up at the moon that, upon it, three Americans had just landed.
 
“But most importantly, three men and a country in one moment were all bound together by an unbelievable act that had never been done in the history of the world.
 
“Just thinking back to a great victory like that has us yearning to look forward to another victory like that, where we can do something for mankind, something for our country, and something to bind us together rather than divide us apart.
 
“It means everything to me, and it means everything to all mankind, because on that day 50 years ago, three Americans, the American people and the aerospace industry did what nobody thought could be done. A great leader, John Kennedy; a great country, the United States of America; landed a man on the moon and brought him home again.
 
“Great achievements like those are few, but those are the types of victories not just for our country, but the leadership we provide the rest of the world, that makes us the leader that we are. And we realize the dreams that we want to accomplish in the future, just like we did 50 years ago today.”