Between July 1969 and December 1972, six Apollo missions landed on the Moon and twelve astronauts walked on its surface. All the landings were on the side that faces the Earth, so that the crews could talk with Mission Control directly. The first sites were flat, safe plains; later missions, with more experience and the lunar rover, went to hills, valleys and mountains chosen by geologists. Apollo 13, in 1970, never landed after an explosion on the way. The sites are still there: the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has photographed the descent stages, the rovers and the astronauts’ footpaths from orbit.
Where did the Apollo missions land on the Moon?
Computing…
| Name | Date | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|
| Apollo 11 | 1969-07-20 | 0.674° N, 23.473° E |
| Apollo 12 | 1969-11-19 | 3.013° S, 23.422° W |
| Apollo 14 | 1971-02-05 | 3.646° S, 17.472° W |
| Apollo 15 | 1971-07-30 | 26.132° N, 3.633° E |
| Apollo 16 | 1972-04-21 | 8.973° S, 15.501° E |
| Apollo 17 | 1972-12-11 | 20.191° N, 30.772° E |
Questions and answers
Can a telescope see the Apollo sites?
No telescope on Earth can: the objects left there are far too small at that distance. Only spacecraft orbiting the Moon have photographed them.
How many people have walked on the Moon?
Twelve, all American astronauts, between 1969 and 1972.
Where the numbers come from
Values refresh every second in your browser; the published data are checked every 10 minutes and updated several times a day.