50 years since man stepped on the moon, pictures you've never seen.

At the Kennedy Space Centre, a ceremony was held in Florida marking the start of celebrations on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first man's Monday descent.

A number of astronauts spoke at the ceremony and followed with the handing out of medals for NASA employees and the most prominent space field people.

Part of the celebrations this 50-year anniversary of the first moon visit is also an auction for space articles belonging to American astronauts in these 50 years of space industry history.

Among the hundreds of participants at the ceremony were well - known names of space and sciences that study it, such as renowned British physicist Brian Cox.

The former director of the Kennedy Griffin Space Center, who had led all mission teams Apollo, was honoured with the pioneer medal in the field of space. He said the next step for NASA will be returning Americans to the moon and visiting the planet Mars.