Apollo

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Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

lunar craters; Apollo 12

Neil Armstrong takes humankind's first steps on the lunar surface during NASA's Apollo 11 mission

far side of the Moon

Watch Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins travel to the Moon on Apollo 11

Apollo 15 landing

Apollo space missions: timeline

For Students

Apollo 15 liftoff

Apollo: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jun 18, 2025

News •

Tiny orange beads found by Apollo astronauts reveal moon’s explosive past • June 17, 2025, 5:49 AM ET (ScienceDaily)

Did You Know?

Nearly 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of lunar material was brought back to Earth through the Apollo space program.
The Apollo space program employed almost half a million individuals.
The astronauts in Apollo 11, 12, and 14 were all quarantined for three weeks after returning from space.

Photos and Videos

lunar craters; Apollo 12

far side of the Moon

Apollo 15 landing

Explore the timeline of the Apollo missions that led the United States to land the first humans on the Moon.

Apollo program infographic.

Neil Armstrong takes humankind's first steps on the lunar surface during NASA's Apollo 11 mission

Watch Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins travel to the Moon on Apollo 11

How Apollo 11 landed on the Moon

NASA's journey to landing a man on the Moon

Apollo 11's incredible journey to the Moon

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

Timeline of the Apollo Space Missions Lunar Module Command Module Service Module Infographic: Spacecraft of the Apollo Program Moon Moon tree Moon exploration space program crewed spacecraft Constellation program Artemis Soyuz Shenzhou Voskhod Gemini Vostok Mercury space station How Many People Have Been to the Moon?

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Key People

Russell Louis Schweickart

American astronaut

Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong

American astronaut

Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson

American mathematician

Buzz Aldrin

Buzz Aldrin

American astronaut

Alan B. Shepard, Jr.

Alan B. Shepard, Jr.

American astronaut

Michael Collins

Michael Collins

American astronaut

Thomas Stafford

Thomas Stafford

American astronaut

John W. Young

John W. Young

American astronaut

Margaret Hamilton

Margaret Hamilton

American computer scientist

David Scott

David Scott

American astronaut

James A. Lovell, Jr.

Jim Lovell

American astronaut

Eugene Cernan

Eugene Cernan

American astronaut

Bruce McCandless II

Bruce McCandless

American naval aviator and astronaut

George Low

George Low

Austrian-born American aerospace engineer

Frank Borman

Frank Borman

American astronaut

Pete Conrad

American astronaut

Vance Brand

United States astronaut

James Webb

James Webb

American space program administrator

William A. Anders

William A. Anders

American astronaut

Edgar D. Mitchell

Edgar Mitchell

American astronaut

Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

All About Astronomy

Edwin E. Aldrin (Buzz Aldrin) stands on the moon, Apollo 11

Famous Astronauts and Cosmonauts

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.

Exploration and Discovery