Apollo 12 took off through storm clouds and was hit by lightning several times (apparently to no ill effect). On board were Charles Conrad and Alan Bean, who would pilot the Lunar Module (Intrepid) to the Moon's surface, and Richard Gordon, who would stay aboard the Command/Service Module (Yankee Clipper).
The mission lasted 10 days and included 49 lunar orbits and a visit to the Moon's surface lasting 31 hours 31 minutes, of which 7 hours and 45 minutes was spent on the surface. This second landing had as its goal a touchdown near the old Surveyor 3 spacecraft which soft landed on the Moon several years before. The Intrepid touched down only 607 feet (185 m) away from the older spacecraft, kicking up a cloud of the talcum powder-like lunar dust from the floor of the Oceanus Procellarum.
The crew recovered some parts of the Surveyor, including its camera, as well as collecting about 77 lbs (35 kg) of soil and rock samples. Left behind were several experiments powered by a tiny nuclear generator. Included were a seismometer, a dust collector, a solar wind ion collector, a lunar atmosphere analyzer, and several other small experiments. After the explorers left the Moon in the ascent module, the remaining lower part of the LM was commanded to fire its engine to produce vibrations creating an artificial earthquake. According to those monitoring the seismometers left by Apollo 11 and 12 back on Earth, the Moon "rang like a bell," emitting vibrations for 51 minutes.
