The eyes of the world were on the flickering black and white television pictures, and millions waited with bated breath, as Neil Armstrong made the final descent to the lunar surface.

After a remarkably level-headed, manually-flown approach, the astronaut spoke the immortal words: "Tranquility base here, the Eagle has landed."

For many back down on Earth, it was an emotional moment as they witnessed mankind's first touchdown on another world.

Ever since President John F Kennedy's ambitious promise eight years earlier to send an American to the Moon by the end of the decade, NASA had been battling to achieve the seemingly impossible.

With men now strolling around on the face of the great shining orb, so prominent in our night sky, it seemed like the start of a great new era of exploration.

Since Apollo 11, a total of 12 men walked on the lunar surface in six landmark missions that ran for just three years.

But by the mid-1970s, attention turned to the cost of space travel, and the boffins at NASA shifted their focus to the need for a reusable Shuttle spacecraft.

With the end of the Cold War, and following the loss of two Shuttle crews in Challenger and Columbia, the Americans seemed to lose their appetite for manned space missions.

But as the world prepares to mark the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's "giant leap for mankind", we would like to hear your memories of those momentous days in July 1969.

The staff at Explore At Bristol know a thing or two about outer space – largely because they pick up a little bit more information every time they walk past the attraction's planetarium show.

But Sheila Anderson, who works as a bookings assistant at the centre in Bristol's Harbourside, has particularly happy memories of the Apollo 11 mission.

While the eyes of the world were on the grainy pictures of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the Moon, Sheila's eyes were meeting those of her future husband across a dance floor.

"I was on holiday in the Isle of Man," Sheila recalls. "I was with a couple of friends, and we all went along to a dance the night after the Moon landings. Everyone was talking about Neil Armstrong being up there on the Moon's surface.

"I was only 20 at the time, and I can remember worrying about what would happen if he came across alien life up there.

"But we left our B&B landlady watching the TV pictures from the Moon to go to the local dance hall. It was while we were there that I met Andy. He came across and asked me to dance. We just hit it off, even though Andy was keen to leave the dance early so he could get back to his hotel to watch the astronauts taking off again."

The couple, who now live in Clevedon, were married the following year.

"It was an exciting time, and the Moon landings gave everyone a sense of optimism. It seemed like anything was possible.

"It all seemed more like science fiction than real life at the time."

The couple will mark the 40th anniversary of the occasion by attending a special talk being held at Explore At Bristol on the evening of Monday, July 20.

The talk, in the planetarium, will be given by popular science writer Piers Bizony.

Gemma Kearsley-Wooller, learning officer at Explore At Bristol, says: "It's great to mark such an achievement in history and to have Piers Bizony coming here to help do that is even better.

"The event will be held in the planetarium where most visitors only get to see the Night Sky show so this is the public's opportunity to see and hear something different – but tickets are going fast so buy them while you can."

The event is aimed at adults and young people over 12. Tickets are £7.50 for adults, £5.50 concessions. To book, call 0845 345 3344.

● Do you remember Apollo 11? Send your memories to David Clensy by email to d.clensy@bepp.co.uk or by post to David Clensy, Bristol Evening Post, Temple Way, Bristol BS99 7HD.