Apollo and the Moon

Apollo 12

Apollo 12 was the second manned landing on the Moon. The landing took place in November 1969.

One of the aims of the Apollo 12 mission was to prove that an accurate landing was possible. the Lunar Module was set down very close (about 600 feet away) to Surveyor 3, which had landed in 1967.

The launch took place in pouring rain, and the craft was struck by lightening a few seconds later. Fortunately, the electrics checked out OK.

They carried out two surface EVAs of almost 4 hours in total. On the first EVA they set up several scientific experiments. On the second they visited Surveyor 3.

After returning to the Command Module, the Lunar Module was jettisoned to crash into the Moon, to help calibrate the seismometer that was part of the experiments left behind.

The Apollo12 astronauts also had a stay in Isolation on return to Earth.