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Half a century has passed since humans first set foot on the Moon. Remarkably, the achievements of Project Apollo remain unmatched: no nation or organization has yet to return humans to the lunar surface or even to orbit above it. It remains a singular achievement.
Apollo Stories
For the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, The Planetary Society asked its members for their thoughts and memories of this epochal event. Below is a sampling of those stories submitted by individuals from around the world.
Limited-Series Podcast: A Political History of Apollo
A Political History of Apollo
A podcast that goes beyond the flags and footprints. Dive into the politics of why the United States decided to send humans to the Moon—and why the nation pulled back after landing only six times.
A Political History of Apollo is a limited-series podcast about why the United States went to the Moon, and why it stopped. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and more.
Resources
Project Apollo
Starting with Apollo 7 in 1968 and culminating with Apollo 17 in 1972, NASA launched 33 astronauts on 11 Apollo missions. Twelve humans walked on the Moon.
From The Planetary Report Archives
The Gift of Apollo
Carl Sagan, June 1994.
Planetary
Society founder Carl Sagan was intimately involved in the Apollo
program. In this essay he reflects on the meaning of those first steps
on the Moon, 25 years after the fact.
While We Weren't Watching: Apollo's Scientific Exploration of the Moon
Andrew Chaikin, June 1994.
Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts highlights some of the extraordinary scientific contributions provided by Project Apollo.
Beyond Apollo: Where Next in Space?
Buzz Aldrin and Louis Friedman, July 2009
Apollo
11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Planetary Society founder Louis Friedman
argue that now is the time for humans to go beyond the Moon.
Highlights from our website
Emily's Recommended Kids' Space Books: Special Apollo 11 Anniversary Edition for July 2019
So many Apollo-related books have come out in the first half of 2019 that I decided to cover them in a special summer book-recommendation blog. I have 5 brand-new Apollo-related books to recommend for kids, and include others I've recommended in past years.
How the Apollo missions transformed our understanding of the Moon’s origin
Where did the Moon come from? The origin of our cosmic neighbor is a fundamental question in planetary science.
Reconstructing the Cost of the One Giant Leap
How much did Project Apollo cost? Planetary Society experts answered that question by revisiting primary sources and reconstructing Apollo's entire cost history from 1960 - 1973.
"As we leave the Moon [...] we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind."
—Gene Cernan, the last person to walk on the Moon, 1972