A toy Highland Cow has been sent in to space exactly 50 years to the day since man took "one small step" towards landing on the moon.

On this day in 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made the "giant leap for mankind" as the Apollo 11 mission was launched into space.

They would become the first people to walk among the stars as part of the mission.

Several creatures, including monkeys, mice and dogs, have attempted the journey since but now Scots have sent Buzzbo the stuffed cuddly toy 3600 metres in to the stratosphere.

The idea to send Buzzbo to the moon came about after a brainwave from seven-year-old Peter Lunan from Dunblane.

Visit Scotland Regional Director Paula Ward said: "It's been about 12 months in planning, we decided we were going to take a little toy Highland cow and launch him into near space, so we've sent a little Highland cow dressed in a clan Armstrong tartan, we've sent him 3600 metres up in to space to have an adventure.

"He did all his training, he was very methodical in the way in which he approached his space launch, he didn't seem scared, he's come back down unharmed, everything's still intact, we've done all the medical examinations of Buzzbo and he seems to be absolutely fine and hopefully he'll have a great festival.

"Peter the boy that named him was very clever, he put together Buzz Aldrin, who was the second man to land on the moon and he paired that together with the Gaelic meaning for the word cow, which was bo, so the little Highland cow which we've put in to space is called Buzzbo."

Neil Armstrong was born in Ohio in the USA, but his family's seat sits in Langholm in the Dumfries and Galloway region, meaning Clan Armstrong have been in the area for over 500 years.

In 1972, three years after he walked on the moon, he visited Langholm and was given Freedom of the Town.

He remains the only man in the world to actually be given free-man status of the town.