A historic mission to the Moon came to a successful end 50 years ago today, July 24, 1969 when Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, about 900 miles from Hawaii.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were recovered by the crew of the USS Hornet recovery ship, where President Nixon was waiting to greet them. Despite going into quarantine for the next three weeks to avoid the possibility of spreading any lunar microbes, the Apollo 11 crew would be embraced by the world for their heroic feat.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ #Apollo50th #Apollo #Apollo11 #nasa #space #navy⁣⁣ ⁣⁣