On July 16, 1969, the day the moon mission blasted into space, photographer David Burnett turned his lens on the crowds who gathered to watch the historic moment.
Eyes on the Skies
Local officials estimated in 1969 that close to one million people turned out to watch the launch.David Burnett / Contact Press Images
All Night Long
Some spectators stayed up all night.David Burnett / Contact Press Images
Sunlight
Others did not.David Burnett / Contact Press Images
Wow
At 9:32 AM, the rocket took off.David Burnett / Contact Press Images
Documented
"It was so long in coming and so quickly gone," says Burnett. "Yet it remains burned into my memory like a slow-motion movie."David Burnett / Contact Press Images
Big Day
From the moment President Kennedy challenged America to put a man on the moon, the nation had breathlessly watched the space program get closer and closer to its goal.David Burnett / Contact Press Images
Titusville, Florida
On the night before the liftoff, crowds gathered across the river from the launch pad.David Burnett / Contact Press Images
Event
David Burnett, 22 at the time, got an assignment from TIME Magazine to cover the scene.David Burnett / Contact Press Images
Aspirations
"The previous year had been one of division," recalls Burnett, "Over the Vietnam War, and there was trauma over the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy..."David Burnett / Contact Press Images
In Tune
"...but the crowds at Titusville exuded a sense of common purpose."David Burnett / Contact Press Images
Determined
Many spectators filled the waiting time with space-related activities.David Burnett / Contact Press Images
The Moment Grows Near
"At around dusk," says Burnett, "NASA put the lights of the launch pad on..."David Burnett / Contact Press Images
Binoculars
"...and the vigil began in earnest."David Burnett / Contact Press Images
