The fact that man reached the moon has generated great controversy throughout the world. The deniers and conspiranoids think that all this has been a hoax on the part of the governments and that the moon has not really been reached. However, it is 50 years since the first man traveled to the moon and that marked a before and after in the recent history of human beings. Many wonder how many men have stepped on the moon since then.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you how many men have walked on the moon and in what year they did.
How many men have stepped on the moon
The first mission to our own satellite started 50 years ago and was called Apollo 11. In this mission were the astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. They were able to reach our satellite for the first time and it is the occasion most remembered by all those who were able to experience these space trips live. We know that Armstrong was the one who had the famous phrase "A small step for man, but a great leap for Humanity", remains to this day in the memory of all.
Despite this, with the passage of time, many astronauts have been able to step on the lunar surface. Many of them are not as well known as the first ones, but we know that a total of 12 men have walked on the moon. We are going to analyze each of them and briefly tell the context in which they were able to travel to our satellite.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
They were among the first to be had embarked on the first and unforgettable mission known as Apollo 11. This mission took place in July 1969. Armstrong was a well-known veteran in the Korean War and is known to be the first man to set foot on the surface of the moon. The most important part of the mission was landing on the moon and not getting out of the vehicle to step on its surface. It should be borne in mind that there are other conditions different from Earth on the moon. You just have to see the earth's gravity. There is not the same amount of gravity on the moon as there is on Earth. Therefore, hitting this surface is much more complicated and you have to train for it.
Buzz Aldrin was the second man to set foot on the moon. Spending a total of 21 hours and 36 minutes on the lunar surface. Unlike Armstrong, who was a more reserved man, this man loved the media and notoriety. This makes it more common to see him making public appearances and making statements about what they lived there.
Charles Conrad and Alan Bean
When we wonder how many men have walked on the moon, the first two are the only ones known. The rest of the list that we are going to name are not so well known. These two men were those in charge of stepping on the lunar surface in the mission known as Apollo 12. This mission took place in November 1969. It can only be done a few months after the first. For this reason, it can be said that during this year astronomy was on everyone's lips. It was a year in which the human being managed to stand out for the advancement of science and technology to the point of being able to leave our planet and step on extraterrestrial soil.
This mission suffered some complications when it started due to an electrical storm. However, it was possible to successfully land on the moon.
Alan Shepard and Ed Mitchell
They are two other astronauts who managed to reach the moon. The first was the first American to be launched into space and the second was the first man after the Soviet Yuri Gagarin. Together they managed to step on the lunar surface in January 1971. The mission that took place was known by the name of Apollo 14. This expedition was remembered for having had one of the most accurate moon landings in history. The lunar module pilot was Mitchel's and he became the sixth man to step on the satellite. It was able to collect about 100 kg of moon rocks during this mission.
How many men have walked on the moon: David Scott and James Irwin
On the Apollo 15 mission we have the date of July 1971, so it was another pretty intense year in terms of astronomy. They had protagonists on the lunar surface and were the first to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle in their explorations. With this vehicle they were able to travel a greater amount of the lunar surface to be able to expand the knowledge about our satellite.
However, this mission had a strong controversy for which these astronauts were suspended upon their return. And it is that they transported without declaring anything envelopes with commemorative stamps of the mission in exchange for money. These envelopes were sold by the businessman who hired them or as a souvenir of the moon at exorbitant prices. Finally, NASA confiscated the remaining envelopes and sanctioned the astronauts. As always, the human being is carried away by greed and selfishness. Something as important for human beings as reaching our satellite and being able to learn more about it is clouded by economic power.
John Young and Charlie Duke
These two astronauts spearheaded the Apollo 16 mission in April 1972. As you can see, it was a busy few years of trips to the moon. The former was the longest-serving astronaut in history and died at age 87 from pneumonia. The second is still alive today and is approximately 83 years old.
Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt
They spearheaded the mission known as Apollo 17. It was the last lunar mission. Schmitt may be the first scientist trained to be able to travel into space and is the second civilian after Neil Armstrong. Since then we have been given more missions to go to the moon.
I hope that with this information you can know how many men have walked on the moon.