{"id":179778,"date":"2025-10-26T17:39:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T17:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/how-many-times-has-someone-been-to-the-moon-and-why-have-only-11-military-pilots-and-one-geologist-set-foot-there-in-all-of-history\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T17:39:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T17:39:15","slug":"how-many-times-has-someone-been-to-the-moon-and-why-have-only-11-military-pilots-and-one-geologist-set-foot-there-in-all-of-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/how-many-times-has-someone-been-to-the-moon-and-why-have-only-11-military-pilots-and-one-geologist-set-foot-there-in-all-of-history\/","title":{"rendered":"How many times has someone been to the Moon, and why have only 11 military pilots and one geologist set foot there in all of history?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Over Half a Century Since Humanity Last Walked on the Moon<\/h2>\n

It has been over half a century<\/strong> since a human last left their footprint on the lunar dust. While incredible technological advancements have taken place on Earth and in low Earth orbit, our natural satellite has experienced a disquieting calm. As this long pause appears to be coming to an end, it’s a good time to refresh our memories regarding the Apollo program: How many times have we visited the Moon? How many humans have walked on its surface? And the million-dollar question: if we have already been there, why has it taken so long to return?<\/p>\n

Now that NASA has accelerated its Artemis lunar program and new space powers like China are approaching with significant robotic missions to the Moon over the past decade, let’s review the key statistics, upcoming missions, and the reasons why human lunar exploration was paused. We will also discuss the plans currently in motion for a return.<\/p>\n

How Many Trips to the Moon Have Been Made<\/h2>\n

Since the late 1950s until today<\/a>, more than 140 lunar missions<\/strong> have been launched. This number encompasses all launches, both robotic and crewed, that have reached lunar orbit or its surface, either through soft landings or impacts.<\/p>\n

The vast majority of these missions are uncrewed. They include robotic probes such as orbiters, landers, and autonomous rovers. The United States, through NASA’s Pioneer, Ranger, Surveyor, and Lunar Orbiter programs, and the former Soviet Union’s Luna probes and Zond capsules, all contributed to the early lunar exploration efforts. In recent years, countries like Japan, China, and India, along with private companies, have successfully reached the Moon without human crews.<\/p>\n

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The dawn of lunar exploration was characterized by a rapid succession of unprecedented milestones. The Soviet Union achieved the first lunar impact with Luna 2 in 1959, while Luna 9 achieved the first soft landing in 1966. In response, the USA developed its own robotic programs that mapped the lunar surface and tested landing technologies before risking human lives. Thanks to the accumulated experience, it was possible, by the end of the 60s, to attempt what had until then been a dream: sending astronauts to the Moon.<\/p>\n

NASA sent nine crewed missions<\/strong> to the Moon between 1968 and 1972 as part of its Apollo program. These missions represent a small fraction of all lunar launches but are among the most memorable achievements in human history and provided the much-needed boost for the United States in the first space race.<\/p>\n

No one has walked on the Moon since then. We\u2019ve had significant milestones, such as China\u2019s Chang\u2019e 6 mission, which brought back the first samples from the far side of the Moon. However, there are no new human footprints in the lunar regolith, and we still do not know the name of the next person to set foot on its surface.<\/p>\n

The Exclusive Club of Those Who Have Walked on the Moon<\/h2>\n
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\n Buzz Aldrin’s footprint on the Moon<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Only 12 people have walked on the Moon<\/strong>, making it the most exclusive club in history. All were astronauts from the Apollo program<\/a> of NASA. Specifically, they were part of six of the seven missions that took place between 1969 and 1972: Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17. In each of these missions, two crew members descended to the lunar surface while a third orbited the satellite in the command module.<\/p>\n

Earlier Apollo missions did reach the Moon, but never landed. The crew of Apollo 8, consisting of Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders, became the first to orbit the Moon during Christmas 1968. In May 1969, the Apollo 10 mission, with Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young, and Eugene A. Cernan, conducted a complete dress rehearsal for the first lunar landing, descending to just 14 kilometers above the surface.<\/p>\n

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The first time a human set foot on lunar soil was on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong stepped down the ladder of the Eagle module from Apollo 11, followed by Buzz Aldrin minutes later. The last time was in December 1972<\/strong> with the Apollo 17 mission, after which no human has returned to the Moon.<\/p>\n

All astronauts who walked the lunar surface were men, primarily military pilots, with the exception of one geologist. Despite the uniqueness of each mission, all performed extravehicular activities ranging from rock collection to scientific experiments, leaving behind tools, flags, and indelible footprints in the gray regolith of the satellite.<\/p>\n

All Lunar Missions with Landings<\/h2>\n

Though it occurred within an incredibly short span\u2014merely three years\u2014this select group of missions is part of one of the greatest technological feats in history. Not forgetting the legendary Apollo 13 from 1970, where James Lovell and Fred Haise did not manage to land due to a technical failure. Together with command module pilot Jack Swigert, the crew managed to return alive to Earth thanks to a perilous emergency maneuver around the Moon.<\/p>\n

Apollo 11 (1969)<\/h3>\n
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\n Buzz Aldrin preparing experiments in the Apollo 11 lunar module ‘Eagle’<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

This mission changed everything. In July 1969, Apollo 11 ensured that Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin<\/strong> became the first humans to walk on the Moon, while Michael Collins remained in the command module.<\/p>\n

The primary goal of Apollo 11 was to fulfill the promise made by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961: to reach the Moon before the decade ended, demonstrating the technological superiority of the United States during the Cold War. The Soviet Union had already placed the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into orbit and was secretly preparing its own lunar landing, but NASA ended up taking the lead.<\/p>\n

Apollo 11 landed in the Sea of Tranquility, a serene basalt plain where the astronauts planted the U.S. flag<\/strong>, deployed simple scientific experiments (such as a laser retroreflector and a seismograph), and collected 21.5 kg of lunar rocks and dust samples.<\/p>\n

Neil Armstrong uttered the famous phrase “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” as he took the first step on the Moon. Two and a half hours later, they lifted off toward the command module and returned to Earth, marking an unprecedented milestone in space exploration.<\/p>\n

Apollo 12 (1969)<\/h3>\n
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\n Pete Conrad alongside a deployed S-band antenna during Apollo 12<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The second crewed lunar landing occurred just four months after Apollo 11, on November 19, 1969. Pete Conrad and Alan Bean<\/strong> proved that the initial landing was not a stroke of luck. They touched down in the Ocean of Storms, just 160 meters from the Surveyor 3 probe that had arrived years earlier. Richard Gordon orbited the Moon during this time.<\/p>\n

During their two lunar walks, Conrad and Bean journeyed to the Surveyor probe, inspecting it and dismantling parts, such as its camera, to return to Earth, thus becoming the first ‘space archaeologists.’ The analysis of how two years on the Moon affected the components provided valuable data about the lunar environment.<\/p>\n

After spending approximately 31 hours on the lunar surface<\/strong>, the Apollo 12 crew collected 34 kg of lunar samples and took an impressive number of photographs. This mission is remembered for the astronauts’ sense of humor, particularly Pete Conrad, who made a comment about his short stature upon hopping out of the lunar module.<\/p>\n

Apollo 14 (1970)<\/h3>\n
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