Kennedy took a giant step for humanity by sending astronaut Neil Armstrong to Apollo 11 with astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins on July 16, 1969, eight years after space exploration. Gagarin's escape. After an orbit and a half they began mission control and three days later they were in lunar orbit, then the next day Armstrong and Aldrin began descent while Collins orbited in the command module. Armstrong finally landed on the moon ready to plant the first human foot on another planet and with billions of people watching, his climb was completed and he stated, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for man. 'humanity". They left behind the American flag and a patch honoring the fallen crew of Apollo 1. By July 24, the crew had landed off the coast of Hawaii and Kennedy's challenge had been met: the men had to walk on the moon and return home safe and sound. During the 1960s, unmanned spacecraft were sent to take photos of the Moon before any astronauts were sent, and by the early 1970s communications and navigation satellites were being used every day to map Mars. In the 1980s, communication expanded with television programs and people were able to receive satellite signals in their homes, via satellite dishes. In April 1981, the Space Shuttle Columbia was launched for most civilian and military space missions. There were twenty-four successful shuttle launches until January 1986, when the Challenger exploded after launch killing all seven crew members.