“It’s one small step for man, one giant leap for humanity. » (Flemish). The Soviet Union had outstripped the United States in space. However, the United States was the first man on the Moon. John F. Kennedy wanted to beat the Soviet Union to the Moon, just as it beat the United States to space. Apollo 11 was the first spacecraft to land on the Moon. The training was to be carried out after the astronauts were selected. Getting them into space was also tricky. Apollo 11's smallest mission was to successfully land on the Moon and return home safely. The successful landing of Apollo 11 on the Moon and its safe return led to further research on the Moon. For the mission, the astronauts had to be chosen carefully. Preparing to walk on the Moon was difficult because no one knew what the Moon's surface would look like. For astronaut selection, it was thought that a test pilot would make a better candidate because he or she would know how to fly and use certain controls. Being a test pilot meant that they were skilled at flying and would be able to learn the controls much easier than someone who had never flown before. They had to be under five feet eleven inches tall to fit comfortably in the spaceship. Each candidate had to pass a physical fitness test. They were tested on the strength of their lungs and their physical condition. Several groups of men were selected for the Apollo missions (Vogt 15). Once the astronauts were chosen, the real training for the Moon could begin. The astronauts had a lot to learn. No one knew what the Moon actually looked like, so they had to be trained to prepare for the worst possible situation scientists could face. One of the most important things they had to learn was to be able to move in their suit,... in the middle of a leaf... pollo 17. » NASA. NASA, nd Web. March 5, 2014. .Dunbar, Brian. “Apollo 16.” NASA. NASA, nd Web. March 5, 2014. .Dunbar, Brian. “Apollo 13.” NASA. NASA, nd Web. March 5, 2014. .Dunbar, Brian. “Apollo 12.” NASA. NASA, nd Web. March 5, 2014. Fleming, Thomas. “THE EAGLE HAS LANDED.” Boys' lives. February 1, 2006: 38. Electronic library. Internet. March 2, 2014. Kraft, Christopher C., JR. “Apollo Expeditions to the Moon: Chapter 7.” Apollo Moon Expeditions: Chapter 7. NASA Langley Research Center, nd Web. March 4, 2014Lewis, Richard S. The Travels of Apollo. New York: Book, 1974. Print. “Mission objective”. NASA. Np, September 9, 2013. Web. February 27. 2014.