Those words were said 50 years ago this week - on July 21 to be exact, when astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, followed down the ladder a short time later by Buzz Aldrin.

To celebrate man's first lunar walk, the Mercury will bring you a special souvenir edition on Friday.

Our special 12-page commemorative lift-out is full of interesting facts, figures and stories. Did you know, for example, that the mission at the time cost $20 billion? These days that's the equivalent of $218 billion.

Or that on grainy black and white television images, 600 million people around the world saw the landing.

By the end of 1972, with the space race in full swing, 12 astronauts had walked on the moon.

It's well documented about the vital role the Parkes telescope played in the landing.

The giant telescope was officially opened in 1961. Since then, frequent upgrades have kept the telescope current: it's now 10,000 times better at detecting weak signals than when it was built.