# Who was the first man to go to the moon?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-man-to-go-to-the-moon/674741>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 25, 2013, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-man-to-go-to-the-moon/674741 "2013-11-25T08:11:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-man-to-go-to-the-moon/674741/41 "2013-11-29T17:27:24Z")

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> [@AK84](#):
>
> There were 6 human beings who had, prior to Neil Armstrong, been in a situation that the moons gravity was greater than the earths. They travelled in three different craft. All orbited and 2 of them actually deorbited and entered, though they did not land.
> 
> My question is of these 6 who can be said to be first.

None of the above. They went near the moon. Armstrong was the first to go to the moon.

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**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-man-to-go-to-the-moon/674741/42 "2013-11-29T18:38:50Z")

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> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> None of the above. They went near the moon. Armstrong was the first to go to the moon.

Was Armstrong on the moon, or was he actually only on some\* \*\*boots \*\*\*that were on the moon?

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**Author:** ![Reginald\_Hobbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@Reginald\_Hobbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reginald_Hobbes)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-first-man-to-go-to-the-moon/674741/43 "2013-11-29T18:51:01Z")

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> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#):
>
> Fairly sure that was Dick Gordon, not Cernan. He was going to command 18, and Schmitt was on his crew. Later they bumped Joe Engle from 17 for Schmitt and 18 was cancelled.

You are right, my memory was off a bit.

They were training as the Apollo 15 back up crew at the time.

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