Apollo missions

Explore the timeline of the Apollo missions that led the United States to land the first humans on the MoonTimeline and infographic of the Apollo space missions.
Apollo program infographic.
1 of 2
Apollo program infographic.The Apollo program: Major elements of the U.S. Apollo program, showing the Saturn V launch vehicle and configurations of the Apollo spacecraft modules at launch and during their journey to the Moon in an infographic.
Apollo 12
2 of 2
Apollo 12Apollo 12 lifting off from John F. Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, November 14, 1969.

The Apollo missions were any of various spaceflights that were part of the Apollo space program, conducted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1960s and ’70s, which landed the first humans on the Moon. All told, 24 Apollo astronauts visited the Moon, and 12 of them walked on its surface. The following is a table of the crewed Apollo missions.

(In a test for the first Apollo mission, astronauts Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee were killed on January 27, 1967. This mission was originally called Apollo 204 but was redesignated Apollo 1 as a tribute to the astronauts. Numbering of the Apollo missions began with the fourth subsequent uncrewed test flight, Apollo 4. Apollo 5 and 6 were also uncrewed flights. There was no Apollo 2 or 3.)

mission crew dates notes
Walter Schirra Jr., Apollo 7 commander, gazes out the rendezvous window in front of the commander's station on the ninth day of the Earth orbital mission (date: 1968). The mission was an engineering test flight designed primarily to test space vehicle Apollo 7 Wally Schirra; Donn Eisele; Walter Cunningham October 11–22, 1968
Photograph that came to be known as Earthrise, taken by astronaut William Anders. The camera helps astronauts share experiences with the world. This spectacular view of the cloudy Earth rising above the lunar horizon was taken in December 1968 from Apollo 8, the first manned spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the moon. Apollo 8 William Anders; Frank Borman; Jim Lovell December 21–27, 1968 first to fly around the Moon
Such spacewalkers as David R. Scott demonstrated that astronauts could work effectively while weightless in space. Apollo 9 James McDivitt; David Scott; Russell Schweickart March 3–13, 1969 test of Lunar Module in Earth orbit
The Apollo 10 command module is seen from the lunar module (LM) after separation in lunar orbit. On May 22, 1969, Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan boarded the LM which they had named "Snoopy," after the Peanuts comic strip character. They undocked from Apollo 10 Thomas P. Stafford; John W. Young; Eugene Cernan May 18–26, 1969 rehearsal for first Moon landing
Buzz Aldrin. Apollo 11. Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin, photographed July 20, 1969, during the first manned mission to the Moon's surface. Reflected in Aldrin's faceplate is the Lunar Module and astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took the picture. Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong; Buzz Aldrin; Michael Collins July 16–24, 1969 first to walk on the Moon (Armstrong and Aldrin)
Apollo 12 astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad stands beside the U.S. flag after is was unfurled on the lunar surface during the first extravehicular activity (EVA-1) Nov. 19, 1969. Footprints made by the crew can be seen in the photograph. Apollo 12 Pete Conrad; Richard F. Gordon, Jr.; Alan Bean November 14–24, 1969 landed near uncrewed Surveyor 3 space probe
This view of the severely damaged Apollo 13 Service Module (SM) was photographed from the Lunar Module/Command Module (LM/CM) following SM jettisoning. As seen here, an entire panel on the SM was blown away by the apparent explosion of oxygen tank number Apollo 13 Jim Lovell; Fred Haise; Jack Swigert April 11–17, 1970 farthest from Earth (401,056 km [249,205 miles]); survived oxygen tank explosion
The Apollo 14 Prime Crew. Apollo 14 lunar landing mission. (L to R) Command Module pilot, Stuart A. Roosa, Commander, Alan B. Shepard Jr. and Lunar Module pilot Edgar D. Mitchell. The Apollo 14 mission emblem is in the background. Dec. 3, 1970 Apollo 14 Alan B. Shepard, Jr.; Stuart A. Roosa; Edgar Mitchell January 31–February 9, 1971 first to use modular equipment transporter (MET)
Apollo 15 astronaut James Irwin standing in back of the Lunar Roving Vehicle; the Lunar Module (LM) is at left with the modular equipment storage assembly (MESA) in front of it. Apollo 15 was launched July 26, 1971. Apollo 15 David Scott; Al Worden; James B. Irwin July 26–August 7, 1971 first to use lunar rover
Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., (photographed by John Young) lunar module pilot of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, collects lunar samples at the rim of Plum crater during EVA-1 at the Descartes landing site. The lunar rover is left background. Apollo 16 John W. Young; Thomas Mattingly; Charles Duke April 16–27, 1972 first to land in lunar highlands
Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, mission commander, walks toward the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) during extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Taurus-Littrow landing site of NASA's sixth and final Apollo lunar landing mission. The photograph was taken by astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot. While astronauts Cernan and Schmitt descended in the Lunar Module (LM) "Challenger" to explore the Taurus-Littrow region of the moon, astronaut Ronald E. Evans, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) "America" in lunar orbit. Date created: December 13, 1972. (Eugene Cernan, space exploration) Apollo 17 Eugene Cernan; Harrison Schmitt; Ron Evans December 7–19, 1972 last to walk on the Moon (Cernan and Schmitt)
Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford and Cosmonaut Aleksey A. Leonov are seen at the hatchway leading from the Apollo Docking Module to the Soyuz Orbital Module during the joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. Apollo-Soyuz Test Project docking in Earth orbit mission. Apollo (Apollo-Soyuz Test Project) Thomas P. Stafford; Vance Brand; Donald Kent Slayton July 15–24, 1975 docked in space with Soyuz 19
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Mindy Johnston.
Citation Information
Article Title: Apollo missions
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 06 June 2024
URL: https://www.britannica.comhttps://www.britannica.com/science/Apollo-missions-2226888
Access Date: November 26, 2024