'That's one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind.' Surely those are among the most famous words in history - spoken by Neil Armstrong as he stepped on to the lunar Sea of Tranquility in July 1969. The bridge between the two worlds had been finally crossed.
Apollo was a technical triumph, and also a triumph for human courage; remember Apollo 13, when an explosion on the outward journey crippled the space-craft, and it needed luck as well as skill to bring the astronauts home. Apollo 17, in December 1972, marked the end of the series. So what did it achieve?
Scientifically of course, it was invaluable; we now know far more about the Moon, and hence about the Earth, than we did before Apollo. But above all it showed that men can reach other worlds, and we must remember too that the Moon had to be our first port of call simply because it's so near and because it always stays with us as we travel round the Sun. A lunar colony is now a real possibility within the next decade or two. It'll be scientific, and the benefits will be immense. Consider, for example, the medical research that'll be possible there; and that's only one of the legacies of Apollo.
