For 45 years The Queen and the Royal Family have undertaken engagements in connection with space exploration:
5 February 1964 - The Queen receives the first woman in space, Valentina Tereschkova.
4 February 1969 - The Queen meets Colonel Frank Borman who led the first team of American astronauts to circle the Moon.
21 July 1969 (UK time) - A 'micro-filmed' message from The Queen is deposited by the Apollo 11 astronauts during the first landing on the Moon. The message read:
"On behalf of the British people I salute the skill and courage which have brought man to the Moon. May this endeavour increase the knowledge and well-being of mankind".
Her Majesty also sent a message of congratulations to the President of the United States of America:
"I send my warmest congratulations to you, to the crew of Apollo 11, and to the American people on the historic occasion of man's first landing on the Moon. I am filled with admiration for the fortitude of Astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, whose exploits add a new dimension to man's knowledge of the Universe. I offer my good wishes and prayers for their safe return".
The President responded:
"Your Majesty, on behalf of the people of the United States, and especially Astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, I thank you for sharing your kind thoughts on the manned lunar landing. This flight has added a new dimension to human experience. Let us hope it will usher in an era of increasingly fruitful international understanding and cooperation. Sincerely, Richard Nixon."
14 October 1969 - The crew of Apollo 11 visit London and are received at Buckingham Palace by The Queen and the Royal Family. The crew present Her Majesty with a replica of the silicon disc which carried her message to them which was left on the Moon.
View footage of the crew of Apollo 11 at Buckingham Palace:
1 August 2002 - As part of the Golden Jubilee tour of the United Kingdom, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visit the National Space Centre in Leicester. Her Majesty speaks via video link with NASA, saying that over the Jubilee summer she has travelled widely but hopes that she will be "forgiven for having limited my tour to the Earth's surface!".
8 May 2007 - During a State Visit to the United States of America, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visit NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre and speak directly via a live video link-up to astronauts orbiting the Earth. British astronaut Michael Foale gives Her Majesty and His Royal Highness a virtual guided tour of the flight centre.
