Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
MOONWALKERS
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first person setting foot on the moon. Here’s a look back at all 12 astronauts who walked there and when we might return.
ON THE MOON
The word “astronaut” is derived from Greek and means “space sailor.” There have only been 12 people to sail through space, leave their ship and walk on the moon. Here's a breakdown of the moonwalkers during the Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972.
APOLLO 11
JULY 16- 24, 1969: At 1: 18 Pacific time on July 20, Neil Armstrong lands the lunar module Eagle with 25 seconds of fuel to spare. About six hours later he steps on the moon and says, “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Minutes later he is joined by Buzz Aldrin. Michael Collins stays in orbit, one of 24 people to have flown to the moon.
APOLLO 12
NOV. 14- 24, 1969: The liftoff takes place during a storm, and several lightning strikes knock out power in the command module. On the moon, Pete Conrad's pinpoint landing means he and Alan Bean can easily walk 200 yards to the Surveyor 3 probe, which landed 21/ years 2 before.
APOLLO 14
Jan. 31- Feb. 9, 1971: After the Apollo 13 mission is aborted but safely returns to Earth, the Apollo 14 mission is delayed four months. Alan Shepard is the oldest U. S. astronaut ( 48) when he commands the mission. The astronauts use a handcart to carry their tools.
APOLLO 15
July 26- Aug. 7, 1971: The first mission to stay three days on the lunar surface and the first to use a lunar rover, an electric, fourwheeldrive car. The astronauts also bring back more rock samples, including the “Genesis Rock,” believed to be more than 4 billion years old
APOLLO 16
April 20, 1972: First to explore the rugged Descartes Highlands area to examine structures thought to be volcanic in origin. Astronauts also deploy the first cosmic ray detector, take detailed ultraviolet pictures of Earth and space and release a small satellite.
APOLLO 17
Dec. 7- 19, 1972: Harrison Schmit becomes the first professional scientist to fly in space and the only geologist to walk on the moon. The mission features the longest moon landing, longest total moonwalk time, largest lunar sample and longest time in lunar orbit.
1. Neil Armstrong, 1930- 2012 Purdue University, USC U. S. Navy fighter pilot Commander on Gemini and Apollo missions
2. Buzz Aldrin, 1930West Point, MIT U. S. Air Force fighter pilot Lunar module pilot Had Communion after he landed on the moon.
3. Charles “Pete” Conrad, 1930- 1999 Princeton U. S. Navy pilot Was part of Gemini, Apollo and Skylab missions.
4. Alan L. Bean, 1932University of Texas U. S. Navy pilot Part of Apollo and Skylab missions. Retired to become a painter.
5. Alan B. Shepard Jr., 1923- 1998 U. S. Naval Academy U. S. Navy pilot Became the first American in space in 1961. Hit two golf balls on the moon.
6. Edgar Mitchell, 1930- 2016 Carnegie Mellon University U. S. Navy pilot His expertise helped guide the Apollo 13 astronauts back to Earth.
Founded a parapsychological institute after leaving the Navy in 1972.
7. David R. Scott, 1932University of Michigan, MIT U. S. Air Force pilot Became the first person to drive on the moon. Piloted Apollo 9 and was commander of Apollo 15.
8. James B. Irwin, 1930- 1991 U. S. Naval Academy, University of Michigan U. S. Air Force pilot Retired in 1972 and founded the High Flight Foundation, a Christian goodwill organization.
9. JohnW. Young, 1930- 2018 Georgia Institute of Technology U. S. Navy pilot Took a roast beef sandwich on a Gemini series flight. After the Apollo program, he piloted two space shuttle missions.
10. Charles M. Duke Jr., 1935U. S. Naval Academy, MIT U. S. Air Force pilot Would have been on Apollo 13 but contracted measles.
Retired from the Air Force in 1986 as a brigadier general.
11. Eugene Cernan, 1934- 2017 Purdue University U. S. Navy pilot Holds the rover speed record of 11.2 mph.
12. Harrison Schmit, 1935Caltech, Harvard Geologist U. S. senator (' 76-' 82) for New Mexico, critic of global warming theories.