Chronology of U.S. Astronaut Missions
- Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo30th Anniversary of Apollo 11 - July, 1999
The Apollo program was designed to land humans on the Moon and bring them safely back to Earth. Six of the missions (Apollos 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17) achieved this goal. Apollos 7 and 9 were Earth orbiting missions to test the Command and Lunar Modules, and did not return lunar data. Apollos 8 and 10 tested various components while orbiting the Moon, and returned photography of the lunar surface. Apollo 13 did not land on the Moon due to a malfunction, but also returned photographs. The six missions that landed on the Moon returned a wealth of scientific data and almost 400 kilograms of lunar samples. Experiments included soil mechanics, meteoroids, seismic, heat flow, lunar ranging, magnetic fields, and solar wind experiments.
Click on the spacecraft name for information about the spacecraft and data held at NSSDCA
The Apollo mission consisted of a Command Module (CM) and a Lunar Module (LM). The CM and LM would separate after lunar orbit insertion. One crew member would stay in the CM, which would orbit the Moon, while the other two astronauts would take the LM down to the lunar surface. After exploring the surface, setting up experiments, taking pictures, collecting rock samples, etc., the astronauts would return to the CM for the journey back to Earth.
More details on Apollo lunar landings Precise positions of LM's and science experiments on the Moon Impact sites of the Apollo LM's and SIVB's Where are they now?
- A guide to the current locations of the Apollos The Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicles - Apollo 15, 16, and 17 Lunar home page The Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Broadcast 30th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission - Images, audio clips, and a brief history.
Lunar Landing Site Map
- Map showing landing sites of the Apollo, Luna, and Surveyor missions The Apollo 11 mission - 25th Anniversary The Apollo 13 malfunction - Images and information on the accident The Apollo 14 Moon Trees
- Trees grown from seeds brought to the Moon by Apollo 14 The Apollo 15 Hammer/Feather Drop
The Apollo 17 LM liftoff from the Moon (80 K Quicktime movie)
and a
1 Mbyte version Apollos 18, 19, and 20
- The cancelled missions Restored ALSEP Data - Suprathermal
Ion Detector Experiment
Chronology of U.S. Astronaut Missions
- Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo
Apollo Lunar Surface Journal
- Transcripts of Apollo communications
Apollo Missions
- Lunar and Planetary Institute
The Apollo Program
- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Apollo: Mission to the Moon
- Kennedy Space Center
Planetary Materials Curation
- Lunar samples at Johnson Space Center
Lunar Module
- Spacecraft Assembly and Test Page (No active link, Archived from 27 April 2006)
Apollo Expeditions to the Moon Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions Apollo by the Numbers: A Statistical Reference Apollo Over the Moon: A View From Orbit Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft Apollo: A Retrospective Analysis The Apollo Spacecraft Chronology, Vol. I - IV Catalog of Apollo Experiment Operations An Annotated Bibliography of the Apollo Program On the Moon with Apollo 16: A Guidebook to the Descartes Region Stages to Saturn: A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles Apollo Program Summary Report (PDF Files) Apollo Preliminary Science Reports Apollo Press Kits (Kennedy Space Center) Apollo Scientific Experiments Data Handbook (NSSDCA, PDF File) ALSEP Termination Report (NSSDCA, PDF FIle)
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