On the date, November 14, one of the most memorable events in American history took place: Apollo 12 lifted off,  taking two humans successfully to the moon for the second time in history. The Apollo 12 mission marked another historic moment in space exploration. The mission successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from where it would go on to advance humanity’s understanding of lunar/engineering science. 

Apollo 12 launched on a rainy day from the space center. Shortly after launching, it was struck by lightning twice during the first minute of the flight, but still continued to take off successfully. The two commanders that were on the Apollo were Charles Conrad and Alan Bean. Their perfect landing made history because it created expectations for the future once they got to the moon, both Conrad and Bean stayed for over 30 hours and conducted experiments collecting valuable information for future missions. Together, they collected 75 pounds of lunar samples that they brought back to earth to study. 

Apollo 12 spent 3.7 days in orbit and circled the moon 45 times. Conrad and Bean returned from the mission to Earth on November 24, 1969. They brought back ideas, photos, and videos of what life was like on the moon to inform future Apollo missions. The experiments they conducted would help scientists, geologists ,and NASA develop more theories for life outside of Earth. Apollo 12 proved that NASA could land astronauts with preciseness and extensive skill. The scientific data brought back by Apollo 12 continue to inform our knowledge of the moon’s composition and history. The mission’s success in overcoming the lightning strike and achieving its intentions, marked the resilience of NASA’s team. 

Today, the Apollo 12 is stored in the Smithsonian Institution and has been there since 1973. The mission collected valuable information, including how long humans could work in space, and paved the way for more Apollo astronauts to land in other areas of the lunar environment in the future. It also reminded the world of the substantial risks and rewards of space exploration. Apollo 12’s liftoff represents the spirit of human exploration and creativity. Its legacy, fifty-five years later, is a testament to the strength of the Apollo 12 program and its firm desire to push the limits of what is possible for today’s lunar science.