Mission Type: Flyby, Lander, Orbiter, Sample Return
Launch Vehicle: Saturn V
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA
NASA Center: Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center
References:
Kennedy Space Center, Apollo Homepage, http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo.htm
The Apollo program was designed to land humans on the Moon and bring them safely back to Earth. Six of the missions achieved this goal.
Apollo 7 and 9 were Earth orbiting missions to test the Command and Lunar Modules, and did not return lunar data. Apollo 8 through 10 tested various components while orbiting the Moon, and returned photography of the lunar surface.
Apollo 13 did not land on the Moon due to a malfunction, but also returned photographs. The six missions that landed on the Moon returned a wealth of scientific data and 382 kilograms (842 pounds) of lunar rocks. Experiments included soil mechanics, meteoroids, seismic, heat flow, lunar ranging, magnetic fields, and solar wind.
Neil Armstrong (right) was 38 years old when he became the first human to walk on the Moon.
