In 1969 humans achieved the long-awaited goal of actually landing on the moon.
Apollo 11
See The Moon Landing: Apollo 11 page
Apollo 12
The next moon-landing flight began on Nov. 14, 1969, when Apollo 12 was launched with astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr. (1930-99), Richard F. Gordon, Jr. (1929- ), and Alan L. Bean (1932- ), all of the navy, aboard. After entering lunar orbit, command pilot Conrad and Bean, the pilot of the LM, transferred to the LM. They landed north of the Riphaeus Mountains, at a spot just 180 m (600 ft) from where the Surveyor 3 spacecraft had landed two years before.
The two astronauts explored their surroundings during two periods, each lasting nearly four hours. They set up scientific experiments, took photographs, collected samples of lunar soil, and removed pieces from Surveyor 3 to be examined on their return to earth. After takeoff from the moon and rendezvous with the CM piloted by Gordon, successful splashdown and recovery took place on November 24. Quarantine procedures were repeated but, as with the Apollo 11 crew, the astronauts emerged in good health on December 10.
Apollo 12 demonstrated many improvements over Apollo 11 techniques, particularly in the accuracy of landing guidance. So successful were these changes that Apollo 13 was intended to land on more rugged terrain on the moon.
Apollo 13
On April 11, 1970, Apollo 13, carrying veteran astronaut Lovell and the civilian astronauts Fred W. Haise, Jr. (1933- ), and John L. Swigert, Jr. (1931-82), was launched. The spacecraft encountered difficulties during the flight when an oxygen tank ruptured. As a result the astronauts were obliged to cancel their planned landing on the lunar surface. Instead, using the power and survival systems of the LM, the astronauts swung behind the moon and were then brought back to earth by the navigating technology of the mission control center in Houston, Tex., for a splashdown south of Pago Pago in the South Pacific Ocean on April 17.
Apollo 14 and 15
The mission of the aborted Apollo 13 was accomplished by the crew of Apollo 14, launched on Jan. 31, 1971, after modifications were carried out in the spacecraft to prevent the malfunctions encountered by Apollo 13. Capt. Shepard, who had been promoted after his successful suborbital flight in 1961 (see Vostok and Mercury Programs above), and Comdr. Edgar D. Mitchell (1930- ), also of the navy, successfully landed the LM in the rugged Fra Mauro region of the moon, while astronaut Stuart A. Roosa (1933-94) of the air force remained in lunar orbit in the CM. Shepard and Mitchell spent more than 9 hr exploring an area that was believed to contain some of the oldest rocks yet recovered, collecting about 43 kg (95 lb) of geological samples and deploying scientific instruments. The astronauts returned to earth without incident on Feb. 9, 1971.
Apollo 15 was launched on July 26, 1971, with Col. Scott as flight commander, Lt. Col. James B. Irwin (1930-91) as pilot of the LM, and Maj. Alfred M. Worden (1932- ) as pilot of the CM, all officers of the air force. Scott and Irwin spent 2 days 18 hr on the lunar surface at the edge of Mare Imbrium, close to the 366-m (1200-ft) deep Hadley Rille and the Apennine mountain range, one of the highest on the moon. During their 18 hr 37 min exploration of the lunar surface, the astronauts traversed more than 28.2 km (17.5 mi) in the vicinity of Mount Hadley in an electrically propelled four-wheeled "lunar rover." They also deployed an elaborate package of scientific instruments and collected about 91 kg (about 200 lb) of rocks, including what was believed to be a sample of anorthosite, a crystalline piece of the original lunar crust, about 4.6 billion years old. A television camera left on the moon photographed Scott and Irwin's departure from the surface, and before the crew left the lunar orbit for their return to earth, they launched into lunar orbit a 35.6-kg (78.5-lb) "subsatellite" designed to transmit data about gravitational, magnetic, and high-energy fields in the lunar environment. On the return journey, Worden made a 16-min walk in deep space while the spacecraft was about 315,400 km (196,000 mi) from the earth, a record distance. The Apollo 15 astronauts splashed down without incident on August 7, about 530 km (about 330 mi) north of Hawaii, and were the first moon-landing crew that was not required to undergo a quarantine.
Apollo 16 and 17
On April 16, 1972, astronauts Young, Charles Moss Duke, Jr. (1935- ), and Thomas Kenneth (Ken) Mattingly (1936- ) were launched on the Apollo 16 mission to the moon, to explore the Descartes Highlands and the Cayley Plains regions. While Mattingly remained in orbit, the two other astronauts landed in the assigned area on April 20. They spent 20 hr 14 min on the moon, setting up a number of experiments powered by a small nuclear station, traveling about 26.6 km (about 16.5 mi) in the lunar rover, and collecting more than 97 kg (214 lb) of rock samples.
The Apollo series missions to the moon concluded with the flight of Apollo 17, Dec. 6-19, 1972. During their smooth 13-day voyage, veteran astronaut Cernan and the American civilian geologist Harrison H. Schmitt (1935- ) spent 22 hr on the moon, traveling 35 km (22 mi) in the lunar rover and exploring the Taurus-Littrow Valley region, while Comdr. Ronald E. Evans (1933-90) of the navy remained in lunar orbit.
An article from Funk & Wagnalls® New Encyclopedia. © 2005 World Almanac Education Group. A WRC Media Company. All rights reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by written agreement, uses of the work inconsistent with U.S. and applicable foreign copyright and related laws are prohibited.
