Exploring the Moon 

A history of lunar discovery from the first

space probes to recent times 

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Apollo lunar mission table

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Mission 

Crew

Result

Apollo 8

1968 

December 21–27 

Frank Borman 

James. A. Lovell 

William A. Anders 

First humans to reach the Moon. 

Orbited the Moon 10 times. 

First manned Saturn V launch. 

Apollo 10

1969 

May 18–26 

Thomas P. Stafford 

John W. Young 

Eugene A. Cernan 

Dress rehearsal of Moon landing, in lunar orbit. 

Orbited Moon for two and a half days. 

Apollo 11

1969 

July 16–24 

Neil A. Armstrong 

Michael Collins 

Edwin E. Aldrin 

Armstrong and Aldrin in the Lunar Module Eagle made first manned lunar landing in southwestern Mare Tranquillitatis, July 20. 

Collected 21.55 kg of lunar samples. 

Time on surface 21h 36m. 

Apollo 12

1969 

November 14–24 

Charles Conrad 

Richard F. Gordon 

Alan L. Bean 

Conrad and Bean in the Lunar Module Intrepid landed in southeastern Oceanus Procellarum on November 19, next to the unmanned robot probe Surveyor 3. 

Collected 34.35 kg of lunar samples. 

Time on surface 31h 31m. 

Apollo 13

1970 

April 11–17 

James A. Lovell 

John L. Swigert 

Fred W. Haise 

Landing cancelled after explosion in service module. Looped behind Moon without going into orbit. 

Lunar Module Aquarius was used as emergency living quarters. 

Apollo lunar mission chronology

Apollo 14

1971 

January 31–

February 9 

Alan B. Shepard 

Stuart A. Roosa 

Edgar D. Mitchell 

Shepard and Mitchell in the Lunar Module Antares landed on February 5 near the crater Fra Mauro. Collected 42.28 kg of lunar samples. 

Time on surface 33h 31m. 

Apollo 15

1971 

July 26–

August 7 

David R. Scott 

Alfred M. Worden 

James B. Irwin 

Scott and Irwin in the Lunar Module Falcon landed on July 30 near Hadley Rille at the foot of the Apennine mountains. 

First use of lunar roving vehicle. Subsatellite released into lunar orbit from the Service Module. 

Collected 77.31 kg of lunar samples. 

Time on surface 66h 55m. 

Apollo 16

1972 

April 16–27 

John W. Young 

Thomas K. Mattingly 

Charles M. Duke 

Young and Duke in the Lunar Module Orion landed on April 21 near the crater Descartes in the lunar highlands. Subsatellite released into lunar orbit from Service Module. 

Collected 95.71 kg of lunar samples. 

Time on surface 71h 02m. 

Background image:

The waning crescent Moon. 

(European Southern Observatory) 

Apollo 17

1972 

December 7–19 

Eugene A. Cernan 

Ronald E. Evans 

Harrison H. Schmitt 

Cernan and Schmitt in Lunar Module Challenger landed on December 11 near the crater Littrow, on the southeastern edge of Mare Serenitatis. 

Collected 110.52 kg of lunar samples. 

Time on surface 75h 00m. 

Text © Ian Ridpath

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