How many people walked on the moon?

In contrast to the deep darkness of space, the Moon has captured humanity’s perspective since time immemorial and has fascinated and intrigued it. But a little more than half a century ago, it became more than just a distant celestial object, it became a place where human beings first left their footprints.

The Moon landing marked the technological peak of the 1960s and was a milestone of unprecedented scientific achievement. Since then, a total of 12 people have walked on lunar soil.We embark on a journey that changes the history of space exploration and the way we see our place in the universe.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union came to a head. The Soviets took the lead with the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, forcing the Americans to respond a few years later, in 1961, when President John F. Kennedy announced the audacious goal of putting a man on the Moon. and return it safely before the end of the decade.

To achieve this goal, NASA launches the Apollo Program, a series of missions designed to develop the technology needed for a moon landing. This program was one of the most ambitious scientific and technological projects in history, mobilizing a huge amount of resources and engineers.

The construction of the Saturn V rocket, which would become the most powerful vehicle ever created, was vital to making these missions achievable. At 110 meters high, the Saturn V was a true giant, capable of launching all the necessary modules for a round-trip journey to our natural satellite.

The first moon landing occurred on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission. On this mission, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface, while Michael Collins remained in orbit in command. module.

Armstrong’s famous quote: “One small step for man, one giant step for humanity”It marked the beginning of a new era for humanity’s space exploration. During this mission, astronauts collected approximately 21.5 kilograms of moon rock samples and deployed scientific instruments to study the lunar environment.

In the following months, between 1969 and 1972, NASA conducted a total of six human landings on the Moon, all as part of the Apollo Program. The Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 missions followed the success of Apollo 11, allowing 10 more astronauts to walk on the lunar surface. This exclusive consists of:

• Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11) – 1969;
• Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) – 1969;
• Charles “Pete” Conrad (Apollo 12) – 1969;
• Alan L. Bean (Apollo 12) – 1969;
• Alan Shepard (Apollo 14) – 1971;
• Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14) – 1971;
• David Scott (Apollo 15) – 1971;
• James B. Irwin (Apollo 15) – 1971;
• John W. Young (Apollo 16) – 1972;
• Charles Duke (Apollo 16) – 1972;
• Eugene Cernan (Apollo 17) – 1972;
• Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17) – 1972.

In these tasks, Astronauts explored different sites and returned to Earth additional rock samples, totaling approximately 382 kilograms of material.

Although Apollo 13 was planned to land on the Moon, it had to abort the landing due to an explosion in one of the service module’s oxygen tanks. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the mission team, the astronauts returned safely but before reaching lunar soil.

All these missions revealed important scientific information from the experiments performed.

Samples collected from our natural satellite helped better understand the lunar geology, soil composition and radiation environment in space. The Moon was formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago as a result of the collision of the Earth and another celestial body..

After Apollo 17, funding for new lunar missions was cut, and NASA turned its attention to other priorities, such as exploring the Solar System with space probes and developing low-orbit spaceflight programs such as the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. Therefore, since 1972, humanity has not yet returned to the Moon.

But plans to return to the Moon are livelier than ever. NASA, together with international partners and private companies, is developing the Artemis Program, whose goal is to send astronauts back to the Moon in the coming years, and the first landing attempt is planned for 2026.

The mission will include the first female crew member and a new generation of astronauts will explore the south pole of the Moon. Unlike the Apollo missions, the focus this time is on establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon. It will form the basis of future human missions to Mars..