Space is the final frontier for archaeologists

By Katie Hunt, CNN

Updated 2249 GMT (0649 HKT) April 17, 2021

Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin salutes the American flag on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969. Aldrin was the second man to ever step foot on the lunar surface. The first was Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11's mission commander.
Photos: The Apollo 11 moon landing, in photos
Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin salutes the American flag on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969. Aldrin was the second man to ever step foot on the lunar surface. The first was Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11's mission commander.
Hide Caption
1 of 18
Apollo 11's crew is pictured in May 1969, the month before the launch. From left are Armstrong, Michael Collins and Aldrin. Collins piloted the command module that orbited the moon while Armstrong and Aldrin spent time on the surface.
Photos: The Apollo 11 moon landing, in photos
Apollo 11's crew is pictured in May 1969, the month before the launch. From left are Armstrong, Michael Collins and Aldrin. Collins piloted the command module that orbited the moon while Armstrong and Aldrin spent time on the surface.
Hide Caption
2 of 18
Apollo 11 was launched into space by a Saturn V rocket on July 16, 1969.
Photos: The Apollo 11 moon landing, in photos
Apollo 11 was launched into space by a Saturn V rocket on July 16, 1969.
Hide Caption
3 of 18
Former US President Lyndon B. Johnson and then-Vice President Spiro Agnew were among those watching the launch at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
Photos: The Apollo 11 moon landing, in photos
Former US President Lyndon B. Johnson and then-Vice President Spiro Agnew were among those watching the launch at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
Hide Caption
4 of 18
It took the crew 76 hours to travel 240,000 miles from the Earth to the moon.
Photos: The Apollo 11 moon landing, in photos
It took the crew 76 hours to travel 240,000 miles from the Earth to the moon.
Hide Caption
5 of 18
The Apollo 11 spacecraft consisted of a command module, Columbia, and a lunar module, Eagle. This photo, taken from the Eagle lunar module, shows the Columbia command module pulling away near the lunar surface.
Photos: The Apollo 11 moon landing, in photos
The Apollo 11 spacecraft consisted of a command module, Columbia, and a lunar module, Eagle. This photo, taken from the Eagle lunar module, shows the Columbia command module pulling away near the lunar surface.
Hide Caption
6 of 18
Armstrong works outside the Eagle module shortly after becoming the first man to step foot on the lunar surface. There aren't that many photos of Armstrong on the moon. That's because he was the one taking most of the photos.
Photos: The Apollo 11 moon landing, in photos
Armstrong works outside the Eagle module shortly after becoming the first man to step foot on the lunar surface. There aren't that many photos of Armstrong on the moon. That's because he was the one taking most of the photos.
Hide Caption
7 of 18
Fans attending a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game cheer after it was announced that the Eagle had made a safe lunar landing on July 20, 1969.
Photos: The Apollo 11 moon landing, in photos
Fans attending a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game cheer after it was announced that the Eagle had made a safe lunar landing on July 20, 1969.
Hide Caption
8 of 18
Armstrong is pictured aboard the Eagle just after the historic moonwalk. As Armstrong lowered himself to the surface, people watching around the world heard him call it "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong later said he had intended to say "a man" and thought he had. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/04/tech/armstrong-quote/index.html" target="_blank">Numerous studies have been carried out over the years</a> to discover whether he had indeed uttered that one little sound. Either way, his intention was clear.
Photos: The Apollo 11 moon landing, in photos
Armstrong is pictured aboard the Eagle just after the historic moonwalk. As Armstrong lowered himself to the surface, people watching around the world heard him call it "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong later said he had intended to say "a man" and thought he had. Numerous studies have been carried out over the years to discover whether he had indeed uttered that one little sound. Either way, his intention was clear.
Hide Caption
9 of 18
A view of Earth appears over the lunar horizon as Apollo 11's command module comes into view of the moon.
Photos: The Apollo 11 moon landing, in photos
A view of Earth appears over the lunar horizon as Apollo 11's command module comes into view of the moon.
Hide Caption
10 of 18
Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon. He and Armstrong spent a little over two hours collecting rock samples and data near the moon's Sea of Tranquility region. They also left behind a plaque signed by all three crew members and President Richard Nixon. The plaque reads: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind."