Image of Apollo 16 Lunar Module (LM) with John Young saluting the flag. Taken by fellow astronaut Charlie Duke in April 1972.
Building on the successes of Mercury and Gemini, The Apollo Program put Americans on the Moon, and to this day, it represents the greatest achievement in human space exploration.
"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."
- President John F. Kennedy, 1961.
Basaltic rock, typical of the surface rock of the dark maria ("seas") on the Moon.
Rocks from the Moon
Collected by the Apollo 15 astronauts, this basaltic rock is typical of the surface rock of the dark maria ("seas") on the Moon. A total of 382 kg of lunar rocks were returned from the Moon by the Apollo lunar surface exploration missions.
The fieldwork and sampling performed by the Apollo astronauts fundamentally revolutionized our understanding of the Solar System.
For example, before the Apollo missions, it was thought that the Moon was an undifferentiated primordial body left over from the formation of the Solar System,
but analysis of the lunar samples revealed that the Moon is an evolved planet, with internal zoning similar to that of the Earth.
The Apollo Program of lunar exploration is considered one of the greatest achievements in human history.
Project Apollo is the greatest achievement in human history. Apollo's goals went beyond landing Americans on the Moon and returning them safely to Earth, and included achieving preeminence in space for the United States, establishing the technology to meet other national interests in space, and carrying out a program of scientific exploration of the Moon.
Apollo missions (1967-1972):
1967
Apollo 1, Launch pad accident
1968
Apollo 7, Test of Apollo spacecraft in Earth orbit
Apollo 8, First circumlunar mission; first human voyage beyond low-earth orbit
1969
Apollo 9, Test of lunar module in earth orbit
Apollo 10, Test of lunar module in lunar orbit
Apollo 11, First lunar landing. Landing Site: Mare Tranquilitatis Surface Time: 21 h 36 min 20 s
Apollo 12, Lunar landing at Oceanus Procellarum/Mare Cognitium Surface Time: 31 h 31 min 11.6 s
1970
Apollo 13, Circumlunar mission. Safe return of spacecraft following in-flight spacecraft anomaly
1971
Apollo 14, Lunar landing at Fra Mauro. Lunar surface time: 33 h 30 min 29 s
Apollo 15, Lunar landing at Hadley Rille; first mission with lunar rover. Lunar surface time: 66 h 54 min 53.9 s
1972
Apollo 16, Lunar landing in the Descartes Highlands. Lunar surface time: 71 h 2 min 13 s
Apollo 17, Lunar landing in the Taurus-Littrow Valley;
Last human lunar landing to date. Lunar surface time: 74 h 59 min 40 s
The Saturn V: The three-stage Saturn V rocket, used for the Apollo lunar missions, was 365 feet tall. Powered by a cluster of five liquid-fuel engines, it is one of the largest and most powerful rockets ever launched.
The LRV: The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) transported two astronauts across the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions. The LRV carried tools, scientific equipment, navigation aids, communications gear, and lunar samples.
Apollo 11: Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin climbs down the ladder to the Moon's surface as Neil Armstrong photographs his descent on 20 July 1969.
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