In 1969, humanity achieved a monumental feat: landing humans on the Moon. This incredible achievement, spearheaded by the USA’s Apollo program, captivated the world and expanded our understanding of the cosmos. Since that historic moment, a select few have had the extraordinary experience of walking on lunar soil. But exactly How Many People Have Walked On The Moon?
The answer is twelve. Over a period of just three and a half years, between July 1969 and December 1972, twelve American astronauts explored the surface of the Moon across six Apollo missions. These missions represent the only times humans have ever set foot on another celestial body.
The First Man on the Moon: Neil Armstrong’s Giant Leap
The world watched with bated breath on July 20, 1969, as Apollo 11’s lunar module, Eagle, touched down on the Sea of Tranquility. At 02:56 GMT on July 21st, Neil Armstrong etched his name into history as the first human to walk on the Moon. Stepping onto the lunar surface, he uttered the now iconic words: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Armstrong’s initial report to mission control, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed,” confirmed the mission’s success after a tense landing sequence. Shortly after, at 03:15 GMT, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin joined Armstrong on the lunar surface. Together, they spent over two hours exploring, collecting samples, and planting the American flag at 03:41 GMT. They also left behind a plaque inscribed with President Nixon’s signature and the message:
“Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind.”
While Armstrong and Aldrin conducted their moonwalk, Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard the command module Columbia, ensuring their safe return.
Neil Armstrong: From Ohio to the Sea of Tranquility
Neil Armstrong’s journey to the Moon was decades in the making, fueled by a lifelong passion for aviation. Born on August 5, 1930, in Ohio, his fascination with flight began at a young age. He earned his pilot’s license at just 16 and later pursued aerospace engineering at Purdue University.
During his college years, Armstrong served as a Navy fighter pilot in the Korean War, gaining valuable experience in high-pressure situations. After graduating, he became a test pilot, mastering over 200 different aircraft, including the X-15 rocket plane, which could reach speeds exceeding 4,000 miles per hour.
Armstrong joined NASA in 1958, becoming part of the Gemini program, which paved the way for the Apollo missions. Selected for Apollo 11, he carried the weight of the world’s expectations on his shoulders. His calm demeanor and exceptional piloting skills were crucial to the mission’s success, especially during the challenging lunar module landing where he had to manually take control to avoid a dangerous boulder field.
After his lunar triumph, Armstrong retired from NASA in 1971 and became a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. He remained a humble and private figure, despite his global fame, and passed away on August 25, 2012. His legacy as a pioneer of space exploration remains firmly cemented in history.
The Twelve Moonwalkers: A Complete List of Lunar Explorers
The Apollo program saw six successful lunar landings, each carrying two astronauts to the Moon’s surface. Here is the complete list of the twelve individuals who have walked on the Moon, in chronological order of their lunar footsteps:
Apollo 11 (July 1969)
- Neil Armstrong
- Buzz Aldrin
Apollo 12 (November 1969)
- Pete Conrad
- Alan Bean
Apollo 14 (February 1971)
- Alan Shepard
- Edgar Mitchell
Apollo 15 (July 1971)
- David Scott
- James Irwin
Apollo 16 (April 1972)
- John Young
- Charles Duke
Apollo 17 (December 1972)
- Eugene Cernan
- Harrison Schmitt
Notably, Jim Lovell and Fred Haise of Apollo 13 were scheduled to walk on the Moon, but their mission was tragically aborted due to an oxygen tank explosion. Apollo 13, despite not landing, holds the record for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth. Budget cuts and shifting priorities led to the cancellation of later Apollo missions, including Apollo 19, which would have given Haise another chance to walk on the Moon.
Journey to the Moon: How Long Does It Take to Get There?
The time it takes to travel to the Moon isn’t fixed and depends on several factors, including the type of spacecraft, the trajectory, and the ever-changing distance between Earth and the Moon.
The Moon’s orbit around Earth is elliptical, meaning the distance varies. At its closest point (perigee), the Moon is approximately 225,623 miles from Earth, and at its farthest (apogee), it’s about 252,088 miles away.
Crewed missions, with their life support systems and larger spacecraft, generally take longer than unmanned probes. The Apollo 11 mission, carrying three astronauts, took approximately four days, six hours, and 45 minutes to reach the Moon. In contrast, unmanned missions can be significantly faster. The Soviet Union’s Luna 1 probe, launched in 1959, reached within 4000 miles of the Moon in just 34 hours, though its intended lunar landing failed. NASA’s New Horizons probe, en route to Pluto, zipped past the Moon in a mere 8 hours and 35 minutes without stopping, achieving the fastest lunar flyby.
The Apollo missions used powerful Saturn V rockets, massive vehicles designed specifically for lunar travel.
Why Haven’t More People Walked on the Moon?
After the Apollo program concluded with Apollo 17 in 1972, no human has returned to walk on the Moon. Several factors contributed to this hiatus. Public interest waned after the initial excitement of the Moon landings, and government funding for space exploration decreased. Priorities shifted towards other space projects, such as the Space Shuttle program and space stations like Skylab and the International Space Station.
However, lunar exploration is once again gaining momentum. NASA’s Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon, with plans for a sustained lunar presence and eventual missions to Mars. Other nations, including China, are also actively pursuing lunar missions. It is highly likely that the list of moonwalkers will grow in the coming decades, potentially including the first woman to set foot on the lunar surface.
Moon Landing Facts: Fascinating Trivia from Apollo
The Apollo missions were packed with remarkable moments and interesting facts:
- Initially, the Apollo program aimed only to orbit the Moon, not land on it. President John F. Kennedy’s ambitious 1961 speech shifted the goal to a lunar landing.
- Neil Armstrong, being the primary photographer, is absent from most still photographs taken on the Moon. Buzz Aldrin is the more frequently photographed astronaut.
- The Saturn V rocket, used for the Apollo missions, remains the largest and most powerful rocket ever successfully launched.
- During Apollo 11’s landing, Armstrong manually piloted the lunar module to avoid a rocky area, landing with only seconds of fuel to spare.
- Armstrong’s “small step” was actually a significant leap due to the lunar module’s landing gear not compressing fully in the Moon’s low gravity.
- Early Apollo crews (11, 12, and 14) were quarantined upon their return to Earth as a precaution against potential lunar microbes, a measure later deemed unnecessary and discontinued.
- Six US flags were planted on the Moon during the Apollo missions. Except for Apollo 11’s flag, which was blown over by the lunar module’s ascent engine, the others are believed to still be standing, though likely bleached white by solar radiation.
The Future of Moonwalking
For nearly half a century, the number of people who have walked on the Moon has remained at twelve. However, with renewed global interest in lunar exploration and ambitious programs like Artemis on the horizon, this number is poised to increase. The dream of walking on the Moon, once a distant fantasy, is becoming a tangible goal for a new generation of explorers. As we look towards the future, the legacy of the Apollo moonwalkers continues to inspire humanity’s quest to reach for the stars and expand our horizons beyond Earth.
