It launched a new era of modern history and was viewed on TV by an estimated 500 million people worldwide.

The historic event on July 20, 1969, had people riveted to their television sets to watch astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first men to walk on the moon.

The Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for the space industry, invited people to share their memories of that day as the 40th anniversary of the moon landing approaches. More than 100 recollections have been submitted so far.

James Salzman, a Texas Instruments manager, recalled being glued to a black and white TV set. “I was a junior in high school, and Star Trek was my favorite TV show at the time,” he wrote. “I followed the NASA Apollo program every step of the way.”

Michael Simpson wrote that he and his wife and their parents were “wide-eyed waiting for the landing and deeply moved by the message that the ‘Eagle had landed.’”

“I was a NASA junkie who started my own rocket project in fifth grade,” wrote Greg Garcia. “Sitting in front of the TV, I couldn’t tell you who else was in the room besides Neil and me.”

Space Foundation spokeswoman Janet Stevens called Apollo 11 “the shining moment” in the space program.

“It was a huge event for America,” she said. “It inspired so many people to go into science, and we really feel that was a great example of how space can affect the national psyche.”

Stevens said people are invited to post their memories until the anniversary date at www.spacefoundation.org.

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Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong working at an equipment storage area on the lunar module. This is one of the few photos that show Armstrong during the moonwalk. Photo by COURTESY NASA