Apollo 11 moonlanding
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses for a photograph beside the deployed United States flag on the lunar surface NASA

Nasa is celebrating the 48th anniversary of the first moon landing by releasing new photos and videos of the historic event.

Nasa has offered a glimpse into their archives through a number of Instagram and Twitter posts on the occasion of the 48<sup>th anniversary of the first moon landing in 1969. The posts include pictures and short videos of the event.

The video files can be found on the Nasa website and is available for download. Some of the footage has been restored by Nasa prior to their publication. The clips include a side-by-side comparison of the old video to the restored versions. They are all in HD quality.

Here are a few of Nasa's posts.

On this day in 1969, NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took “one small step” and planted the first human feet on another world, our moon. At 10:56 p.m. EDT, with more than half a billion people watching on television, Armstrong climbs down the ladder and proclaims: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Aldrin joins him shortly, and offers a simple but powerful description of the lunar surface: “magnificent desolation.” They leave behind an American flag, a patch honoring the fallen Apollo 1 crew and a plaque on one of Eagle’s legs. It reads, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.” Armstrong and Aldrin blast off and dock with Michael Collins in the Columbia Command Module. Credit: NASA #nasa #space #moon #Apollo11 #Apollo #landing #moonlanding #astronaut #armstrong #aldrin #collins #eagle #module #lunar #spacepic #instagram#otd

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Buzz Aldrin famously called the moonscape, "magnificent desolation". The above image shows a footprint on the surface of the moon. While it is not clear as to whose footprint it is, it shows how clearly the fine moon dust was able to capture the footprint left behind by the heavy suit.

The Apollo 11 mission left behind a plaque on the moon that reads, "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind."

Buzz Aldrin also posted a few pictures on his Twitter account, explaining how they were shot.

One of the most well known pictures of the space mission, this image of Buzz Aldrin was apparently not set up or staged. In the tweet, Aldrin wrote that Armstrong simply called out to him and said, "Stop right there" and captured the image. The straps he is holding in his left hand are mid-sway.

Another interesting clip shared by Aldrin is a time lapse of an Earth rise, a phenomenon that was also experienced by the Apollo 8 crew during their mission in December 1968.

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