As part of the Artemis space program, launched in 2017, NASA aims to return humans to the Moon. The goal is to establish a permanent presence there and on other planets by 2025. The program also seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, and that woman could be Jessica Mayer.
Even if you weren't alive to see the first moon landing on July 20, 1969, you probably saw footage of it, when astronaut Neil Armstrong famously declared, "That's one small step for man, man." A giant leap for caste." , and Buzz Aldrin landed them on the surface of the MoonHelped to plant an American flag.And didn't they also drive around in golf carts? Or did he putt some golf balls? Indeed, it was Alan Shepard with a golf club during the Apollo 14 mission. And it was not a golf cart. It was a lunar rover, and it also came later: David Scott and James Irwin used it for the first time during the Apollo 15 mission.
Keeping in mind that Americans lost interest in landing on the Moon in later decades, you could be forgiven for not having all the details straight. You must be wondering how many missions and how many people have gone to the moon. In fact, during the nine Apollo missions, 24 astronauts (all American) went to the Moon and 12 of them walked on it. What follows is a quick history.
In 1961, when the Soviet Union sent Yuri Gagarin into space, the first man to orbit the Earth, Pres. John F. Kennedy announced that the United States would send the first man to the Moon by the end of the decade. NASA then launched a series of test missions, beginning with Mercury (six one-man space flights, 1961–63) to find out how humans functioned in space, then Gemini.(two unmanned and 10 two-maned space flights, 1964–66), which later helped develop the technology for lunar landings and culminated with the Apollo program (1966–72). Apollo began with a series of unmanned flights orbiting the Earth. Apollo 7 was the program's first crewed space flight in 1968, orbiting Earth 163 times to test equipment.
Apollo 8 (December 21–27, 1968) was the first crewed mission to complete lunar orbit and return safely to Earth. Its three-man crew, William Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lowell, were the first three men to walk on the Moon, although they did not land on the Moon. They were followed by three members of Apollo 10 (May 18–26, 1969): Thomas Stafford, John W. Young, and Eugene Cernan, whose mission was considered a dress rehearsal for the lunar landing. Cernan and Stafford operated the Lunar Module near the Moon's surface, while Young remained on the Command Module, orbiting the Moon and setting the routine for subsequent Apollo missions.
Eventually the first lunar landing came with Apollo 11, in which Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. He was immediately followed by Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, while Michael Collins remained on the command module orbiting the Moon. Collins was the ninth person to reach Earth's nearest neighbor. This was soon followed by Apollo 12 (November 14–24, 1969), in which Pete Conrad and Alan Bean spent nearly 32 hours on the lunar surface, while Richard F. Gordon operated the command module in lunar orbit.
Apollo 13 (April 11–17, 1970) was a routine mission to the Moon, but an oxygen tank exploded two days after launch, and plans to land were immediately cancelled. However, to return to Earth, the spacecraft needed to orbit the Moon. Three crew members—Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert—shut down the command module to conserve energy and moved to the Lunar Module as a makeshift lifeboat. They spent about four days in lunar orbit with high levels of carbon dioxide, little heat, and insufficient food and water supplies. Although three men did not walk on the Moon, Heise and Swigert became the 13th and 14th to do so (Lowell had walked on Apollo 8). After a harrowing journey, the crew return safely to Earth.
Apollo 14 was a little less cringe-inducing. Alan Shepard, who was the first American astronaut to travel in space aboard Freedom 7 in 1961, became the fifth man to walk on the Moon and, as an avid golfer, took a swing at a few golf balls. Edgar Mitchell joined him as the sixth man to walk on the Moon, while Stuart A. Roosa orbited in the command module and became the 17th person to walk on the Moon. During Apollo 15 (July 26–August 7, 1971), astronauts David Scott and James B. Irwin spent nearly three days on the Moon and was the first person to use the lunar rover, an electrically powered wheeled vehicle, while Alfred Worden orbited the Moon. on the command module.
John W. Young, who had previously walked on the Moon on Apollo 10, had the opportunity to walk on the Moon with Charles M. Duke, Jr. during Apollo 16 (April 16–27, 1972). The two were the ninth and tenth astronauts to walk on the surface of the Moon. Thomas K. Mattingly, who had been removed from Apollo 13 due to exposure to measles, operated the command module and became the 21st man to walk on the Moon. Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the last manned mission to the Moon. Harrison Schmitt, the first professional geologist on the Moon, and Eugene Cernan, who went to the Moon with Apollo 10, walked on the lunar surface for more than 22 hours. He collected over 249 pounds (115 kg) of rocks and other material. They were the 11th and 12th astronauts to walk on the Moon, and Ron Evans, who operated the command module, became the 24th man to walk on the Moon.
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