The United States landed on the Moon first. The Apollo 11 mission, which was launched by NASA on July 16, 1969, was the first crewed mission to the Moon. The mission was commanded by Neil Armstrong, with Buzz Aldrin as the lunar module pilot and Michael Collins as the command module pilot. The Apollo 11 spacecraft consisted of a command module, a service module, and a lunar module. The command module was the living quarters for the astronauts and the control center for the mission. The service module contained the spacecraft's propulsion system and life support systems. The lunar module was the spacecraft that landed the astronauts on the Moon. The Apollo 11 mission was a success. Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969, and became the first humans to walk on the lunar surface. They spent about two and a quarter hours on the Moon before returning to the command module. The Apollo 11 spacecraft splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. The Soviet Union also had a number of successful moon missions, including Luna 2, which was the first spacecraft to impact the Moon, and Luna 9, which was the first spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon. However, the Soviet Union did not achieve a crewed moon landing before the United States. The United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a space race during the 1960s, and the Apollo 11 mission was a major victory for the United States. The mission helped to boost American morale and prestige, and it also helped to pave the way for future missions to the Moon and beyond.