Marching groups at Houston astronaut parade, August 1969. Footage of members of the Boy Scouts of America marching in formation and carrying US flags at the Houston astronaut parade of 16 August 1969 in Houston, Texas, USA. They are followed by members of a marching band. This parade was held to honour the Apollo 11 astronauts. Three US astronauts (Neil Armstrong, Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, Michael Collins) had achieved the first landing by humans on the Moon on 20 July 1969 as part of NASA's Apollo 11 mission (16-24 July 1969). Over the following months, the Apollo 11 astronauts took part in numerous national and worldwide tours to mark their historic achievement. Houston is the home of NASA's mission control, the Manned Spacecraft Centre (MSC), and this was among the first parades held in their honour. It featured Boy Scouts, a bagpipe band, the Apollo Queens drill team, military bands, and cheerleaders. As well as the Apollo 11 astronauts, other NASA astronauts paraded in cars past the public. Around 300, 000 people lined the streets, with a ticker tape parade held along the downtown Houston section of the route.