Fly me to the moon! Lunar missions around the world and why they are so significant
During the 1970s and 1980s, the US and the USSR participated in the new era of moon missions
Only seven nations have successfully orbited the moon and been to or sent to space as part of a mission that was either a semi-successful or a successful mission. This is the total number of moon missions that have been carried out since the first race for space was conducted in the 1950s. During the 1970s and 1980s, the US and the USSR participated in the new era of moon missions.
According to an estimate by OMG Space, the U.S. has 30 successful moon missions that were carried out between 1959 and 2013. The USSR flew 23 such missions from 1959 to 1976. India, on the other hand, successfully carried out a mission called Chandrayaan1 in 2008, which involved landing an impactor and performing a lunar orbit. In 2019, the country entered the moon again with a rover and lander mission that was most likely a failure.
So let's have a look at all the six manned moon landings and the Apollo mission that ran from 1961 to 1972.
Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin
The Apollo 11 lunar module made history by becoming the first spacecraft to land on the moon's surface. It happened on July 20, 1969, and it landed in the Maretullatis area, which was referred to as the Sea of Tranquility. Shortly after the mission's landing, Armstrong and the pilot, Edwin E. Alvardo Jr., carried out a brief ceremony.
Apollo 12: Charles Conrad and Alan Bean
This image was taken during the second extravehicular activity of the mission, which was called Apollo 12. It shows two American spacecraft on the lunar surface. The left side of the photo shows the lunar module, while the right side shows the Surveyor 3 lander.
Apollo 14: Aland Shepard and Edgar Mitchell
On February 5, 1971, the third manned moon landing mission was carried out by the astronauts Edgar Mitchell and Aland Shepherd. They landed their spacecraft near the Fra Mauro crater. They spent over three hours on the lunar surface taking photos and conducting experiments.
Apollo 15: David Scott and James Irvin
On July 30, 1971, the fourth manned moon landing mission was carried out by the astronauts David Scott and James Irvin. They landed their spacecraft near the Mare Imbrium area.
For the mission, the astronauts used a lunar rover for the first time. For over 66 hours, they stayed on the lunar surface and took photos and conducted experiments. They then rendezvoused with the orbiting module, which was piloted by Alfred Worden.
