The Men Who Went To The Moon

In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Since that time there have been many astronauts and cosmonauts, but only 24 men have ever left Earth's orbit. They were all taking part in the Apollo program, to send man to the moon.

Mission Patch For The Apollo Program

These chosen few have viewed sights never seen by humans before, or since.

It is only from outside of Earth's orbit that Earth be seen as a sphere. Astronauts orbiting Earth can see the curvature of the Earth's surface, but do not see the whole Earth.

Earth Rise Over The Moon As Seen By Apollo 17

The Earth As Seen From Space

Due to the speed of the moon's rotation, we only ever see one side of its surface. These astronauts viewed the dark side of the moon, as they orbited it.

The Dark Side Of The Moon As Seen By Apollo 16

Mission Patch For Apollo 8

Apollo 8 was the second manned Apollo mission and the first spacecraft to take humans out of Earth's orbit. The journey took three days, the craft then made 10 orbits of the moon before its return voyage.

The Crew Of Apollo 8

Apollo 8 was a highly successful mission and showed that the Apollo Program was on course for an eventual lunar landing,

Mission Patch For Apollo 10

Apollo 10 was a dress rehearsal for the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission and tested all the procedures and components. The lunar module was taken to within 8.4 nautical miles (15.6 km) of the lunar surface.

The Crew Of Apollo 10

Mission Patch For Apollo 11

The Crew Of Apollo 11

Apollo 11, was a truly historic mission and on July 21 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the moon. Saying the immortal line:

"That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind"

What is slightly less well known is that the lander was off course and had only seconds of fuel left before it crashed.

Buzz Aldrin's Footprint On The Moon

Mission Patch For Apollo 12

Apollo 12 was the second manned mission and achieved all of its main objectives, one of which was a precise landing.

One of the other main objectives was to recover parts from an earlier probe, Surveyor 3.

The Crew Of Apollo 12

Mission Patch For Apollo 13

The Crew Of Apollo 13

Two days into the journey to the moon an oxygen tank tank exploded. This left the main craft crippled, with limited batteries and oxygen, both of which would be needed for reentry.

The crew evacuated to the Lunar Module and used it as a makeshift 'lifeboat'.

Damage Caused To The Apollo 13 Command Module By An Explosion

The main problem that had to be overcome was the removal of carbon dioxide, and incompatible parts. So a 'jury-rigged' solution was created, which the astronauts nicknamed the 'mailbox'.

Interior Of Apollo 13 Showing The Improvised Carbon Dioxide Scrubber

Thankfully, the astronauts were safely returned to Earth and many believe that rescue of the Apollo 13 crew, was NASA's finest achievement.

Jim Lovell Reading A Newspaper Account Of The Safe Return Of Apollo 13

Mission Patch For Apollo 14

After the near disaster of Apollo 13, this was a successful mission. At the age of 47, the commander Alan Shepard was the oldest astronaut to walk on the moon. He was also the second man in space and the only member of the original group of seven Mercury astronauts to make the journey to the moon.

The Crew Of Apollo 14

Mission Patch For Apollo 15

The Crew Of Apollo 15

The Apollo 15 mission included the first use of the Lunar Rover. This was battery powered and traveled a total of 17.25 miles (27.76 km) during the mission.

The Lunar Rover As It Was Left Parked When Apollo 15 Returned To Earth

David Scott: "This is really a rock-and-roll ride, isn't it."

James Irwin: "I've never been on a ride like this before."

David Scott: "Oh, boy, I'm glad they've got this great suspension system on this thing."

Mission Patch For Apollo 16

When traveling in the Lunar Rover, the crew managed to achieve speeds of 11 miles per hour (18 kilometers per hour).

When he was on the moon John Young heard that congress had approved the Space Shuttle program. Unknown to him, at the time, was the fact he would be the first Shuttle pilot.

The mission was cut short by a day as there were potential problems with the main craft and this would have bought some time to fix them.

The Crew Of Apollo 16

Mission Patch For Apollo 17

There were originally 13 manned Apollo missions planned, but due to budgetary constraints 3 were canceled. The Saturn V rockets were then used for the Skylab Project.

These cancellations meant that Apollo 17 was the last mission to the moon.

The Crew Of Apollo 17

As he prepared to leave on the journey back to Earth, Eugene Cernan spoke these words on 14 Dec 1972.

"And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17."

Buzz Aldrin On The Moon

With the return of Apollo 17, the Apollo missions finished.

Since that time, many daring new adventures have been suggested. On some projects work was actually begun, but then canceled.

So, as the Apollo astronauts grow old, it is a sad fact that after the passage of forty years no one has traveled to the moon or beyond and we still do not know when they will.

The Crew Of Apollo 11 In 2009

We will leave the last words to David Scott, as he stepped on the moon 31 July 1971.

"As I stand out here in the wonders of the unknown at Hadley, I sort of realize there's a fundamental truth to our nature. Man must explore."

Montage Of Images From The Apollo Program

Here for completeness, are the remaining Apollo missions, none of which left Earth Orbit.

Early in the Moon landing project, there was a tragic fire in a simulator and three astronauts died: 'Gus' Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee.

The Crew Of Apollo 1

The next Apollo flights were all unmanned and concentrated on testing the Saturn rockets and equipment.

Mission Patch For Apollo 7

Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the Apollo space program, its crew consisted of: Commander Walter M. Schirra, Donn F. Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham.

The Crew Of Apollo 7

It flew in Earth orbit for over ten days. Apollo 7's mission was to check propulsion and other systems, such as life-support.

Mission Patch For Apollo 9

The crew of Apollo consisted of: Commander Jim McDivitt, Command Module Pilot David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot Rusty Schweickart.

The Crew Of Apollo 9

The spacecraft spent ten days in Earth orbit, testing critical systems including the first flight of the Lunar Module. Other tests included docking, the backpack life support systems and two spacewalks.