“Six Epochal Manned Moon Missions for Landings: NASA’s Historic Apollo Missions of 1969-1972 and Saw Twelve Astronauts Venture onto Lunar Terrain.”
The iconic words, “One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind,” uttered by Neil Armstrong remain etched in history . He became the first human to set foot on the Moon Missions during NASA’s Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969. This landmark achievement marked the first successful manned Moon landing in history.
NASA further cemented its legacy with five additional triumphant manned Moon landings between 1969 and 1972. In total, twelve men had the extraordinary opportunity to walk on the lunar surface through NASA’s Apollo Moon missions. Below is a compilation of six of these historic achievements.
06. Apollo 17, 11th December 1972
Apollo 17, NASA’s final manned lunar mission, launched on December 7, 1972, with astronauts Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans and Harrison Schmitt aboard. After a four-day journey, their lunar module landed on the Moon’s surface on December 11, 1972. Within the Taurus-Littrow region, renowned for its geological diversity.
Over three days, Cernan and Schmitt conducted extensive scientific experiments and collected lunar samples. By utilizing the lunar rover to traverse a distance of 36 kilometers. Their findings included a rich array of ancient and younger volcanic rocks. Along with soil samples from depths of up to three meters.
These endeavors contributed significantly to our understanding of the Moon’s geological history. Having fulfilled their mission objectives, the crew safely departed the lunar surface on December 14, 1972. And they returned to Earth on December 19, 1972. Apollo 17 stands as a testament to humanity’s ingenuity and exploration spirit. They were marking the culmination of NASA’s groundbreaking Apollo program.
05. Apollo 16, 21st April 1972
Apollo 16, launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 16, 1972, became NASA’s inaugural mission to touch down in the lunar highlands. On April 21, 1972, it safely landed at the Descartes mountain range on the Moon. Astronauts John Young and Charles Duke spent nearly three days conducting experiments and traversing the lunar surface, covering 20.7 kilometers with the aid of lunar rovers.
They performed nine scientific experiments at eleven distinct sites, gathering approximately 90 kilograms of lunar samples. In addition to surface activities, the astronauts conducted various scientific experiments from lunar orbit and captured numerous images of the Moon.
The mission’s third astronaut, Ken Mattingly, spent four days and two hours orbiting the Moon before returning to Earth on December 24, 1972. Apollo 16’s accomplishments underscored the significance of lunar highland exploration and contributed substantially to humanity’s understanding of lunar geology and scientific research in space exploration.
04. Apollo 15, 30th July 1971
Apollo 15, launched on July 26, 1971, marked the debut of the lunar roving vehicle in manned missions. Astronauts David R. Scott, Alfred M. Worden, and James B. Irwin journeyed to the Moon. Landing safely on July 30, 1971, in the Hadley-Apennine region, they explored the vast Mare Imbrium, one of the solar system’s largest craters.
Scott and Irwin conducted 18.5 hours of extravehicular activity, utilizing the rover to collect 370 rocks and soil samples. Meanwhile, Worden conducted scientific experiments from lunar orbit. After spending two days and 19 hours on the Moon, the Apollo 15 crew returned to Earth on August 7, 1971.
03. Apollo 14, 5th February 1971
Launched from Kennedy Space Center on January 31, 1971, Apollo 14 featured astronauts Alan Shepard Jr, Stuart A Roosa, and Edgar D Mitchell. The lunar module landed on the Moon’s surface on February 5, 1971, in the Fra Mauro valley, where the primary mission was sample collection.
While Roosa conducted experiments in lunar orbit, Shepard and Mitchell gathered rocks and soil samples from 13 locations. Engaging in surface experiments, they spent a total of 33 hours on the Moon before safely returning to Earth on February 9, 1971.
02. 12, 19th November 1969
On November 14, 1969, NASA’s Apollo 12, the second successful manned Moon landing, launched with astronauts Charles “Pete” Conrad, Alan L. Bean, and Richard F. Gordon. Conrad and Bean safely landed the lunar module in the Oceanus Procellarum area on November 19, 1969, while Gordon remained in lunar orbit.
They explored within a 0.5-kilometer radius of the module, spending nearly one day and seven hours collecting samples, deploying experiments, and capturing photographs. In total, the crew gathered 35 kilograms of lunar samples before returning safely to Earth on November 24, 1969.
01. Apollo 11, 20th July 1969
NASA’s Apollo 11 made history as the first spacecraft to land humans on the Moon. Launched from Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969, with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, the lunar module, named ‘Eagle,’ touched down safely on the Moon’s surface on July 20, 1969.
Armstrong famously became the first human to set foot on the lunar surface at 10:56 p.m. EDT, uttering the iconic words, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Aldrin joined Armstrong in exploring the lunar surface, spending two hours and 50 minutes collecting samples and conducting experiments.
The astronauts planted an American flag on the Moon before returning to the lunar module. They captured numerous photographs from both the surface and lunar orbit and collected 21.5 kilograms of lunar samples. With all mission objectives satisfactorily completed, they safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969, leaving an indelible mark on human history and igniting a new era of space exploration.
