1961–1972
PROGRAM DURATION
6
MOON LANDINGS
12
ASTRONAUTS ON THE MOON
24
ASTRONAUTS WHO FLEW TO THE MOON
APOLLO 11
FIRST CREWED MOON LANDING
SATURN V
LAUNCH VEHICLE
THE JOURNEY TO THE MOON
The Apollo program was a series of
human spaceflight missions conducted
by NASA between 1961 and 1972.
Its primary goal was to land humans
on the Moon and return them safely
to Earth.
Apollo 11 achieved the historic first
crewed Moon landing on July 20, 1969,
when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
walked on the lunar surface while
Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit.
The Apollo missions returned hundreds
of kilograms of lunar rocks and soil to
Earth, allowing scientists to study the
Moon in unprecedented detail.
Apollo 13 demonstrated another side
of space exploration. After an oxygen
tank explosion damaged the spacecraft,
the crew survived a dangerous journey
back to Earth.
The final lunar mission, Apollo 17,
ended in December 1972 and remains
the most recent time humans have
walked on the Moon.
APOLLO HIGHLIGHTS
APOLLO 11
On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 became
the first mission to land humans on
the Moon.
MOON ROCKS
The Apollo missions brought back
approximately 382 kilograms of lunar
rocks, soil and other samples.
SATURN V
The enormous Saturn V rocket carried
Apollo spacecraft from Earth toward
the Moon.
DID YOU KNOW?
Apollo 11 travelled approximately
384,000 km from Earth
to the Moon before humans took
their first steps on another world.
WHAT APOLLO CHANGED
Apollo demonstrated crewed navigation, landing and surface operations at another world. Six missions landed astronauts on the Moon between 1969 and 1972, returning lunar rocks and soil and deploying experiments that continued to produce scientific data after the crews departed.
The returned samples transformed understanding of lunar geology and helped establish the Moon's early history. Apollo also created engineering and operational experience that continues to influence later human-spaceflight programs.
IMAGE:
NASA / APOLLO 11
ORBONIX · SPACE MISSIONS
ORBONIX · SPACE MISSIONS