The summer of 2019 marked two great NASA achievements, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing and the 10th anniversary of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter entering lunar orbit. These anniversaries, together with NASA's new objective of returning astronauts to the Moon in the 2020s, bridge past, present, and future space exploration. We invite you to join in as we celebrate the anniversaries of key moments in the Apollo missions!
Important Dates for Apollo 50th Anniversaries
Apollo 11
July 16 – 24, 1969 (50th anniversary: July 16 – 24, 2019) First humans to set foot on the Moon
Apollo 12
November 14 – 24, 1969 (November 14 – 24, 2019) Saturn V rocket was struck by lightning twice during launch Pieces of the Surveyor 3 probe were collected and returned to Earth for analysis
Apollo 13
April 11 – 17, 1970 (April 11 – 17, 2020) Farthest people have ever been from Earth! Moon landing aborted after an explosion in one of the oxygen tanks crippled the spacecraft during flight
Apollo 14
January 31 – February 9, 1971 (January 31 – February 9,2021) Lunar module landed in the Moon’s Fra Mauro formation (Apollo 13’s original target) Astronaut Stuart Roosa brought tree seeds with him on the journey, many of which are growing here on Earth today! Astronaut Alan Shepard, lunar golfer, hit two golf balls on the Moon at the end of Apollo 14’s last extravehicular activity
Apollo 15
July 26 – August 7, 1971 (July 26 – August 7, 2021) Improved technology allowed these astronauts to stay longer on the Moon, almost 3 days! First use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle, enabling longer traveling distances
Apollo 16
April 16 – 27, 1972 (April 16 – 27, 2022) Astronauts deployed and operated the first astronomical telescope on the Moon
Apollo 17
December 7 – 19, 1972 (December 7 – 19, 2022) Apollo program’s final launch First astronaut scientist to walk on the Moon – geologist Harrison ‘Jack’ Schmitt
Apollo 50th Resources
Parks and Science Center Apollo 50th Celebration Package
Bring NASA Science to your park or outdoor science center!
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo at your Ballpark
LRO has a partnership with Minor League Baseball to bring Space Science to the ballpark. Here are some suggested resources to share NASA science with fans.
Presentations
The Apollo Legacy
These Apollo Legacy presentations are meant to be resources for learning about the Apollo missions. They are not intended to be used as is – please feel free to alter/edit the presentations to fit your specific needs and audience. Depending on the topic you would like to focus on, adding relevant images and/or videos would be greatly beneficial. The shorter version of the presentation does not include the Apollo press releases or command module locations. Both versions provide an overview of all the Apollo missions along with current lunar science and future lunar exploration.
Apollo 12 | Apollo 13
Download and adapt these presentation slides about Apollo 12 and Apollo 13 to your audience and setting. The notes section for each slide contains the image source and explanations.
Additional Resources
- NASA's Official Apollo 50th Anniversary Website
- NASA's Apollo Program Website
- NASA History Office: The Apollo Program
- Lunar and Planetary Institute: Apollo 50th Resources
- NISE Network: Moon Landing 50th Anniversary
- NISE Network: 2019 Earth & Space Science Toolkit
- Night Sky Network: Apollo at 50–Moon Toolkit and Resources
- National Air and Space Museum: Apollo to the Moon
- Moon Trek
- Apollo 17 : A real-time journey through the mission
Videos and Images
President Kennedy’s speech at RICE university
LRO's Apollo 50th poster
Collection of video from the Scientific Visualization Studio
"We Are NASA" Video
Apollo landing sites and images from LRO’s cameras
Space Stem Forum
Apollo 11 Lithograph
NASA is frequently coming out with new visualizations to convey the discoveries made on the Earth and beyond!
LRO SVS Visualizations
"Moonlight (Clair de Lune)"
Sharper Views of Apollo 12, 14, and 17 Sites
Additional Image Gallery Resources
Continue to Celebrate the Moon
International Observe the Moon Night
International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is an annual worldwide celebration of lunar science and exploration. One day each year, everyone on Earth is invited to unite and observe and learn about the Moon and its connection to planetary science, and share personal and community connections we all have to the Moon.
Future of Lunar Exploration
Moon to Mars Program
NASA’s science, technology and human exploration activities touch every aspect of our lives here on Earth and we want to extend our presence to the farthest corners of the universe. In doing so, we will maintain America’s leadership in space.
