Apollo was a project conducted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1960s and 1970s that landed the first humans on the Moon.
Timeline
On May 25, 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy commits the United States to landing astronauts on the Moon by 1970.
On September 12, 1962, President Kennedy utters perhaps his most famous words about space exploration in a speech delivered at Rice University in Houston: “We choose to go to the Moon…and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
On January 27, 1967, Astronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee were killed in a test for the first Apollo mission. This mission was originally called Apollo Saturn-204 (AS-204) but was redesignated Apollo 1 as a tribute.
On September 11, 1967, numbering of the Apollo missions began with the fourth subsequent uncrewed test flight, Apollo 4. Apollo 5 and 6 were also uncrewed flights.
There was no Apollo 2 or 3.
Apollo 7—October 11–22, 1968
The first crewed Apollo space mission was Apollo 7. The three astronauts on Apollo 7 were Walter Schirra, Jr., Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham. They spent 10 days, 20 hours, 9 minutes, and 3 seconds in space. Apollo 7 completed 163 orbits around Earth, traveling 4,546,918.3 miles.
Apollo 8—December 21–27, 1968
Apollo 8 was the first to fly around the Moon. The three astronauts on Apollo 8 were William Anders, Frank Borman, and James Lovell, Jr. They spent 6 days, 3 hours, and 42 seconds in space. Apollo 8 completed 10 orbits around Earth, traveling 579,606.9 miles.
Apollo 9—March 3–13, 1969
Apollo 9 tested the Lunar Module in Earth orbit. The three astronauts on Apollo 9 were James McDivitt, David Scott, and Russell Schweickart. They spent 10 days, 1 hour, and 54 seconds in space. Apollo 9 completed 151 orbits around Earth, traveling 4,214,543 miles.
Apollo 10—May 18–26, 1969
Apollo 10 was the rehearsal for the first Moon landing. The three astronauts on Apollo 10 were Thomas Stafford, John Young, and Eugene Cernan. They spent 8 days, 23 minutes, and 23 seconds in space. Apollo 10 completed 31 orbits around Earth, traveling 829,437.5 miles.
Apollo 11—July 16–24, 1969
Apollo 11 was the first mission to land and walk on the Moon. The three astronauts on Apollo 11 were Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin each spent a total of 2 hours and 32 minutes on the surface of the Moon. All three astronauts spent 8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes, and 35 seconds in space and traveled a total of 953,054 miles. “The Eagle has landed…”— Astronaut Neil Armstrong as the Apollo 11 Lunar Module landed on the Moon. “…one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind”— Astronaut Neil Armstrong as he stepped onto the Moon for the first time.
Apollo 12—November 14–24, 1969
Apollo 12 was the first precision landing on the Moon. The three astronauts on Apollo 12 were Charles Conrad, Alan Bean, and Richard Gordon. Conrad and Bean each spent a total of 7 hours and 27 minutes on the surface of the Moon. All three astronauts spent 10 days, 4 hours, 36 minutes, and 25 seconds in space and traveled 952,354 miles.
Apollo 13—April 11–17, 1970
Apollo 13 survived an oxygen tank explosion. The three astronauts on Apollo 13 were James Lovell, Jr., Fred Haise, Jr., and Jack Swigert. They spent 5 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes, and 41 seconds in space. Apollo 13 completed 1.5 orbits around Earth, traveling 622,268 miles. “Houston, we’ve had a problem…”—Astronaut Jack Swigert
Apollo 14—January 31–February 9, 1971
Apollo 14 was the first Moon landing in the lunar highlands. The three astronauts on Apollo 14 were Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, and Stuart A. Roosa. Shepard and Mitchell each spent a total of 9 hours and 35 minutes on the surface of the Moon. All three astronauts spent 9 days and 2 seconds in space and traveled 1,150,321 miles.
Apollo 15—July 26–August 7, 1971
Apollo 15 was the first mission to use the lunar rover. The three astronauts on Apollo 15 were David Scott, James Irwin, and Alfred Worden. Scott and Irwin each spent 18 hours and 40 minutes on the surface of the Moon. All three astronauts spent 12 days, 17 hours, and 12 minutes in space and traveled 1,274,137 miles.
Apollo 16—April 16–27, 1972
Apollo 16 spent their mission exploring the lunar highlands. The three astronauts on Apollo 16 were John Young, Charles Duke, and Thomas Mattingly. Young and Duke each spent a total of 20 hours and 15 minutes on the surface of the Moon. All three astronauts spent 11 days, 1 hour, and 51 minutes in space and traveled 1,391,550 miles.
Apollo 17—December 7–19, 1972
Apollo 17 was the last mission to walk on the Moon. The three astronauts were Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and Ron Evans. Cernan and Schmitt each spent a total of 22 hours and 5 minutes on the surface of the Moon. All three astronauts spent 12 days, 13 hours, and 52 minutes in space and traveled 1,484,933.8 miles.
Facts About the Moon and Space Travel
A total of 12 astronauts walked on the Moon. The Moon has had a total of 24 human visitors. The Moon’s average distance to Earth is 238,855 miles.
[Read Britannica’s interview with the astronaut who might be the first woman to walk on the Moon.]