Man on the Moon

This photo, released by NASA on Dec. 29, 1968, shows the view of the rising Earth that greeted Apollo 8 astronauts as they came from behind the moon after the lunar orbit insertion burn. On the Earth, 240,000 statute miles away, the sunset terminator bisects Africa.

The Apollo 9 lunar module is shown in flight after separation from the command-service module in the fifth day of the orbital flight, March 17, 1969. The string-like pieces on the four landing pods are the moon sensors, which tell pilots when touchdown nears.

Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., are riding in this spacecraft as it lifts off the pad at Cape Kennedy, Fla., July 16, 1969.

A view of the Apollo command module with Astronaut Michael Collins aboard as seen from the lunar module, July 20, 1969. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin in the lunar module have separated from Apollo 11 and prepare to go to the lunar surface. Moon terrain in background is the far side of the moon.

A footprint left by one of the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission shows in the soft, powder surface of the moon on July 20, 1969.

Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, poses for fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong, who shot this photo during their moon walk July 20, 1969. Armstrong and the Apollo 11 lunar module are reflected in Aldrin's visor.

Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., lunar module pilot, descends steps of lunar module ladder as he prepares to walk on the moon, July 20, 1969. He had just egressed the lunar module. This picture was taken by Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity.

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin carries scientific experiments to a deployment site south of the lunar module Eagle. One experiment involved the inner composition of the moon, and another tried to determine the exact distance from Earth. Photo was taken by Neil Armstrong of the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969.

Astronaut Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. poses for a photograph beside the U.S. flag deployed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. Aldrin and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong were the first men to walk on the lunar surface.

An estimated 10,000 persons gather to watch giant television screens in New York's Central Park and cheer as astronaut Neil Armstrong takes man's first step on the moon on July 20, 1969. The Apollo 11 lunar mission was launched July 16.

After an eight-day mission on the moon, the Apollo 11 command module lands in the Pacific Ocean and the crew waits to be picked up by U.S. Navy personnel on July 24, 1969.

President Richard Nixon looks at the Apollo 11 astronauts in the isolation unit aboard the USS Hornet after splashdown and recovery, July 24, 1969. The astronauts, left to right, are: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.

The crew of the Apollo 13 lunar landing mission are shown in their spacesuits on their way to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Kennedy, Fla., Saturday, April 11, 1970. Flight Commander James A. Lovell Jr., is waving, followed by command module pilot John L. Swigert Jr., and lunar module pilot Fred W. Haise Jr. An explosion on board forced Apollo 13 to circle the moon without landing.

At NASA Mission Control, Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, left, director of flight crew operations, holds lithium hydroxide canisters attached to a hose as he discusses a makeshift repair to reduce the dangerous levels of carbon dioxide aboard the crippled spacecraft Apollo 13, April 15, 1970. The Apollo 13 astronauts' improvised device effectively treated the air aboard the craft.

Apollo 14 Mission Commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr., appears relaxed during suiting activities for his launch to the moon on Jan. 31, 1971. Shepard commanded Apollo 14 on a nine-day flight, man's third lunar landing mission, and spent a total of nearly 217 hours in space, including more than nine hours on the moon.

Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard, center, prepares to swing at a golf ball on the lunar surface during a televised moon walk in February 1971. Shepard was using a six iron attached to a handle used for scientific experiments. At left is fellow astronaut and pilot Edgar Mitchell with the lunar module and the S-band anntena in the foreground.

Eugene Cernan walks toward lunar roving vehicle during extravehicular activity on the moon's surface during Apollo 17 mission, December 13, 1972.

Astronaut Eugene A. Carnan makes a short checkout of the lunar roving vehicle during the early part of the Apollo 17 extravehicular activity (EVA-1) at the Taurtus-Littrow landing site.