A magnificent set of three ‘lunar’ photos of the Apollo 11 mission, inscribed by astronauts NEIL ARMSTRONG, BUZZ ALDRIN and MICHAEL COLLINS to Elton Stepherson, Jr., a pioneering African-American manager in NASA, who joined the crew on their famed ‘Giant Leap’ publicity world tour as a member of the U.S. Information Agency. Includes: NEIL ARMSTRONG (1930 - 2012) American astronaut and commander of the Apollo 11 mission, the first man to walk on the Moon. Superb and exceedingly rare I.S.P. 13.5 x 10.5 in. on a 15 x 14 in. mat, shows Armstrong on the lunar surface next to the large foot pad of the Lunar Module Eagle, boldly inscribed and signed on mat: ‘To Elton – with sincere thanks for being both one step ahead of us and one step behind us throughout ‘Great Step’ Neil Armstrong Apollo 11’. Fine condition, set into a 24 in. x 22 in. black frame. WITH: EDWIN A. ‘BUZZ’ ALDRIN (b. 1930) American astronaut and pilot of the Apollo 11 lunar module who walked the Moon with Neil Armstrong. Fine I.S.P. 10.5 x 14 in. color on a 17 x 12 in. mat, shows Aldrin descending the rungs of the LMP to become the second man to walk on the moon, inscribed and signed on mat in French: ‘To Elton C’etait un grand plaisir de vous avoir eu avec nous pendant le voyage de Giantstep and d’avoir en votre service comme interprete Buzz Aldrin’ [‘It was a great pleasure to have you with us during the Giant Step voyage and to have had your service as interpreter’]. Matted and set into a 20.5 x 25 in. black frame. TOGETHER WITH: MICHAEL COLLINS (1930-2021) American astronaut, Command Module Pilot for the Apollo 11 mission. Fine I.S.P. 7 x 7 in. color on an 8.5 x 10 in. mat [sight], boldly inscribed and signed on mat: ‘To Elton with sincere best wishes and Giant Thanks from Apollo 11 Michael Collins’. Set into a 16.5 x 18.5 in. black frame. After three weeks of quarantine confined in the Apollo spacecraft on the USS HORNET trailer and then in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins were finally allowed to leave on August 10, 1969. On August 12, 1969, the crew attended a luncheon at Houston’s Rice Hotel, and the next day flew to New York City, where they were honored with a massive ticker-tape parade before embarking on their famous 45-day ‘Giant Leap’ tour, which began with a stop in Mexico City on September 29, 1969. The astronauts were accompanied by their wives, support staff for NASA and the U.S. State Department, four members of ‘Voice of America’, and to staffers from the U.S. Information Agency – one of whom was Elton Stepherson, Jr. Stepherson (1934-1987) held a long career in the U.S. Government as a foreign service officer, including more than 24 years with the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) as an area director. His first assignment in Washington was working in conjunction with NASA as a USIA liaison for the Mercury and Gemini Programs. In this capacity, he worked closely with space program colleagues to provide accurate information on NASA’s activities to USIA posts all over the globe. The position also cemented him as one of the first African Americans to work alongside NASA in a management role. The ‘Giant Step’ tour propelled Stepherson into the world spotlight as he spent weeks with three of the most famous men on Earth. Following the ‘Giant Step’ tour, Stepherson became a veritable ambassador for NASA, giving lectures on the Apollo Program and exhibiting moon rocks, which earned him the nickname ‘The Rock Man’ in Latin America. An incredible group headlined by Armstrong’s inscription which cleverly references his iconic ‘one step’ quote. Armstrong once told his biographer, James Hansen, that he never wrote his famous quote in any inscription. This photograph is one of only two copies to have referenced it directly. All three images are in fine condition and accompanied by COAs from Zarelli Space Authentication.