‘America to the Moon’–50th Anniversary Series

Final Apollo Lunar Landing was ‘A Tribute to American Ingenuity’

By Bob Granath | December 13, 2022

NASA is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the final Moon landing of the Apollo Program. The results of the 12-day Apollo 17 mission, flown in December 1972, led to some of the most significant findings of the first efforts of lunar exploration. The agency’s endeavor to continue exploration of the Earth’s nearest celestial neighbor recently began anew with the spectacular flight of Artemis 1, helping pave the way for astronauts to return to the Moon.

Apollo 16 Explores the Moon’s Mysterious Descartes Highlands

By Bob Granath | April 5, 2022

“That’s the most gorgeous sight I believe I have ever seen,” said Apollo 16 lunar module pilot Charlie Duke. He was looking at a 363-foot-tall Saturn V rocket on the launch pad the day before it rocketed him the Moon. Duke, along with veteran astronaut John Young and fellow rookie Ken Mattingly, piloted NASA’s fifth lunar landing mission in April 1972 – 50 years ago.

Ambitious Apollo 15 Mission Took Lunar Exploration to the Next Level

By Bob Granath | July 29, 2021

During the summer of 1971, 50 years ago, three astronauts made the most of three days on the Moon’s surface and in lunar orbit. With the opportunity for more detailed exploration and the addition of “dune buggy”-like transportation, Apollo 15 was the most complex flight to date.

Apollo 14 Proved Spaceflight Challenges Are Solvable

By Bob Granath | January 31, 2021

Apollo 14 launched 50 years ago, on Jan. 31, 1971. “It’s been a long way, but we’re here,” said Alan Shepard as he stepped from the lunar module onto the Moon’s Fra Mauro highlands. It was more than a 240,000-mile trip – it was a hard-fought return to flight for NASA’s Apollo Program and America’s first person in space.

Apollo 13 Mission Remembered as ‘NASA’s Finest Hour’

By Bob Granath | April 11, 2020

What was to have been America’s third lunar landing in April 1970, became a struggle to safely return the crew after an oxygen tank explosion crippled the crew’s spacecraft. During a reunion of key players involved in the Apollo 13 mission, they recalled what has been termed “NASA’s finest hour.”

Lunar Encore Leads to First Precision Extraterrestrial Landing

By Bob Granath | November 1, 2019

In an address to Congress in 1961, President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to “land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth” before the end of the decade. With the flight of Apollo 12, 50 years ago, NASA achieved that goal a second time.

Former Astronauts Reflect on Historic First Moon Landing

By Bob Granath | July 25, 2019

Five former Apollo and Space Shuttle astronauts discuss the historic first landing on the Moon during a briefing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. — Continue Reading

Apollo 10 was Rehearsal for Upcoming Moon Landing

By Bob Granath | July 17, 2019

NASA recently marked the 50th anniversary of Apollo 10, the mission that served as the “dress rehearsal” for the first lunar landing two months later. The crew descended to within 47,000 feet of the Moon ensuring all was working as designed prior to making the actual touchdown.

Apollo 9 Completes Crucial Test of Lunar Landing Spacecraft

By Bob Granath | July 7, 2019

After the Apollo command/service module was tested successfully in Earth orbit and on a trip to the Moon, NASA prepared for the next step, the first piloted flight test of the spacecraft designed to land on the lunar surface.

A Bold Step: Apollo 8 Sends First Human Flight Beyond Earth

By Bob Granath | July 6, 2019

On Dec. 21, 1968, NASA’s Mission Control gave the crew of Apollo 8 approval for TLI — trans-lunar injection — permission to become the first humans to leave Earth orbit. Their destination, 234,000 miles away, was the Moon.

Category: ‘America to the Moon’–50th Anniversary Series