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Apollo 12

Occurred 54 years ago

"The Pinpoint Mission…"

Mission Type

Lunar Landing

crew

Charles Conrad Jr., Alan L. Bean, Richard F. Gordon Jr.

Launch

Nov. 14, 1969

Landing

Nov. 24, 1969

Featured Story

Apollo 12: The Pinpoint Mission

Mission Objective The primary mission objectives of the second crewed lunar landing included an extensive series of lunar exploration tasks…

Charles Conrad Jr.,

Commander

In September of 1962, Mr. Conrad was selected as an astronaut by NASA. His first flight was Gemini V, which established the space endurance record and placed the United States in the lead for man-hours in space. As commander of Gemini XI, Mr. Conrad helped to set a world’s altitude record. He then served as commander of Apollo XII, the second lunar landing. On Mr. Conrad’s final mission, he served as commander of Skylab II, the first United States Space Station.

More About Charles Conrad Jr.

Portrait of Pete Conrad

Astronaut Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr. portrait.

NASA

Portrait of the prime crew of Apollo 12. Charles Conrad Jr., Richard F. Gordon Jr., and Alan L. Bean pose in front of the lunar module. — The three astronauts named by NASA as the prime crew of the Apollo 12 lunar landing mission. Left to right are Charles Conrad Jr., Richard F. Gordon Jr., and Alan L. Bean. (22 Sept. 1969)
NASA

View of the Apollo 12 lunar module in the distance as both it and the command module orbit the Moon. — The Apollo 12 Lunar Module (LM), in a lunar landing configuration, is photographed in orbit from the Command and Service Modules (CSM). The coordinates of the center of the lunar surface shown in picture are 4.5 degrees west longitude and 7 degrees south latitude. The largest crater in the foreground is Ptolemaeus; and the second largest is Herschel. Aboard the LM were astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., commander; and Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot. Astronaut Richard R. Gordon Jr., command module pilot, remained with the CSM in lunar orbit while Conrad and Bean descended in the LM to explore the surface of the moon. (1 Nov. 1969)
NASA

Alan Bean Deploys the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package — Alan Bean Deploys the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package
NASA

stronaut Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot for the Apollo 12 mission, is about to step off the ladder of the Lunar Module — Astronaut Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot for the Apollo 12 mission, about to step off the ladder of the Lunar Module to join astronaut Charles Conrad Jr., mission commander, in extravehicular activity (EVA). Conrad and Bean descended in the Apollo 12 LM to explore the moon while astronaut Richard F. Gordon Jr., command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules in lunar orbit. (19 Nov. 1969)
NASA

Astronaut Charls Conrad stands at the Module Equipment Stowage Assembly (MESA) on the Lunar Module (LM) following the first Apollo 12 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface. The erectable S-band antenna is already deployed at right. — Astronaut Charles Conrad Jr., commander of the Apollo 12 lunar landing mission, stands at the Module Equipment Stowage Assembly (MESA) on the Lunar Module (LM) following the first Apollo 12 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface. The erectable S-band antenna is already deployed at right. The carrier for the Apollo Lunar Hand Tools (ALHT) is near Conrad. While astronauts Conrad and Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot, descended in the LM to explore the lunar surface, astronaut Richard F. Gordon Jr., command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit. (19 Nov. 1969)
NASA

Alan Bean and his family are covered in ticker tape in their convertable during a Parade in Ft. Worth — Apollo 12 astronaut Bean and his family deluged by shredded office paper during the parade in his honor in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Star Telegram

Apollo 12 Articles

7 min read

Three months after returning from the second Moon landing mission, Apollo 12 astronauts prepared to embark on another major journey,…

Article

8 min read

For the first time in nearly four weeks, Apollo 12 astronauts Charles “Pete” Conrad, Richard F. Gordon, and Alan L.…

Article

8 min read

Apollo 12 splashed down in the South Pacific 375 miles east of Pago Pago, American Samoa, on Nov. 24, 1969,…

Article

10 min read

Selected as the Prime Recovery Ship (PRS) for Apollo 12 on Aug. 17, 1969, USS Hornet (CVS-12) steamed out of…

Article

6 min read

It wasn’t an easy task to follow Apollo 11, the first Moon landing, but the crew of Apollo 12 achieved…

Article

8 min read

Apollo 12 astronauts Charles “Pete” Conrad and Alan L. Bean were in high spirits when they re-entered their Lunar Module…

Article

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Featured Story

New NASA Study Reveals Origin of Organic Matter in Apollo Lunar Samples

A team of NASA-funded scientists has solved an enduring mystery from the Apollo missions to the moon – the origin…

Apollo 12

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