An American space programme, which in 1969 successfully achieved its
objective: a manned landing on the Moon. The programme consisted of 17 missions in all.
Numbers 1 to 6 were unmanned test flights and Apollo 13 was aborted following an explosion on board,
though the astronauts were returned safely to Earth. Six Moon landings took place between 20 July 1969
and 11 December 1972. The astronauts collected samples of lunar rocks
and soils weighing a total of nearly 400 kilograms, and took many photographs
both on the surface and from lunar orbit. A variety of scientific experiments were carried
out on the surface of the Moon, including ones to detect
cosmic rays and the solar wind.
The Apollo craft consisted of three modules: the Command Module (CM), the Service Module (SM)
and the Lunar Module (LM). The Command and Service Modules (CSM) remained in lunar orbit with one astronaut on board while the other two astronauts made the descent to the Moon's surface in the Lunar Module.
The descent stage was left on the Moon when the astronauts returned to lunar orbit by means of the ascent stage, and rejoined the Command and Service Modules.
The Service Module was jettisoned shortly before re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
| Apollo |
Astronauts |
Landing date |
Landing site |
| 11 |
Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins |
20 July 1969 |
Mare Tranquillitatis |
| 12 |
Conrad, Bean, Gordon |
19 November 1969 |
Oceanus Procellarum |
| 14 |
Shepard, Mitchell, Roosa |
5 February 1971 |
Fra Mauro |
| 15 |
Scott, Irwin, Worden |
30 July 1971 |
Hadley Rille |
| 16 |
Young, Duke, Mattingly |
21 April 1972 |
Cayley-Descartes highland region |
| 17 |
Cernan, Schmitt, Evans |
11 December 1972 |
Taurus-Littrow region |
|