Apollo 17
December 7, 1972
Apollo 17 launched at 12:33 AM on December 7th — the only night launch in the history of the Apollo program. A technical hold pushed it past midnight. From a hundred miles away, people said it turned night into day. On my television, the Saturn V rose into the darkness…
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Apollo 15
July 26, 1971
Apollo 15 launched today and Dave Scott is going to drive a car on the Moon. The Lunar Roving Vehicle — four wheels, electric motor, built by Boeing — will be folded in the descent stage and deployed on the surface. I've been looking forward to this mission more than…
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Apollo 13
April 11, 1970
Apollo 13 launched today and the newspapers barely mentioned it. "Routine Moon mission," one headline said. Routine! I watched from home and felt obscurely offended on behalf of the crew. Three men are riding a Saturn V to another world. Nothing about this is routine. We've forgotten how hard this…
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Apollo 12
November 14, 1969
Apollo 12 launched today into a stormy sky. Thirty-six seconds after liftoff, lightning struck the Saturn V. Twice. The spacecraft lost power to most of its systems. Mission Control nearly called an abort. One flight controller — twenty-six-year-old John Aaron — knew exactly which switch to throw. They continued to…
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Apollo 11
July 16, 1969
The Saturn V launched at 9:32 AM this morning and everything worked. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins are on their way to the Moon.
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Apollo 11
July 16, 1969
This morning the Saturn V carrying Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins lifted off from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The engine ignited at 9:32 AM. They are going to the Moon. I watched with my family and none of us spoke when the rocket rose. There are…
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December 21, 1968
Apollo 8 launched this morning. The Saturn V worked. The translunar injection burn worked. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders are on their way to the Moon.
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