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To the Moon . . . and Back!

It’s been 50 years since people last set foot on the moon. Astronauts are preparing to return. 

January 2, 2023
By Rebecca Zissou

As You Read, Think About: What is the purpose of sending people to the moon?

The mission was a huge success. Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt explored the moon, collecting more than 240 pounds of rocks and soil. They drove around the bumpy surface on a dune buggy called the Lunar Roving Vehicle. And they took thousands of photos for scientists to study.  

On December 14, 1972, they climbed into their space capsule and lifted off. Soon the men would rocket back to Earth.

It was the last time anyone set foot on the lunar surface.

Fifty years later, NASA is gearing up to go back. The U.S. space agency plans to send people to the moon in 2025.

The program, called Artemis, is already underway. In November, an uncrewed test flight blasted off to orbit the moon. 

“It’s really exciting,” says Rachel Kraft, who works at NASA. “Our goal is to understand what it takes to live and work on another celestial body.”

The mission was a huge success. Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt explored the moon. They collected more than 240 pounds of rocks and soil. They drove around the bumpy surface on a dune buggy. It was called the Lunar Roving Vehicle. And they took thousands of photos for scientists to study. 

On December 14, 1972, they climbed into their space capsule and lifted off. Soon the men would rocket back to Earth.

It was the last time anyone set foot on the lunar surface.

Fifty years later, NASA is gearing up to go back. The U.S. space agency plans to send people to the moon in 2025.

The program is called Artemis. And it’s already underway. This past summer, an uncrewed spacecraft orbited the moon. It tested the launch system. 

“It’s really exciting,” says Rachel Kraft. She works at NASA. “Our goal is to understand what it takes to live and work on another celestial body.”

NASA

Eugene Cernan explores the moon on a dune buggy called the Lunar Roving Vehicle.

New Heights

From 1969 to 1972, 12 astronauts touched down on the moon’s dusty surface. They were part of NASA’s Apollo program, created to send the first humans to the moon. The U.S. is the only nation to have sent people to the lunar surface. 

At first, many Americans were fascinated by the moon landings. But by the final Apollo mission, interest had largely faded. Some people thought the program, which cost about $25 billion, was too expensive.  

In the following decades, NASA turned its attention elsewhere. U.S. astronauts have lived and worked on the International Space Station since 2000. Scientists from other countries also work in the space laboratory. Plus, NASA has sent robots called rovers to Mars and spacecraft to other distant places. 

From 1969 to 1972, 12 astronauts touched down on the moon’s dusty surface. They were part of NASA’s Apollo program. It was created to send the first humans to the moon. The U.S. is the only nation to have sent people to the lunar surface.

At first, many Americans were fascinated by the moon landings. But by the final Apollo mission, interest had largely faded. Some people thought the program was too expensive. It cost about $25 billion.

In the following decades, NASA turned its attention elsewhere. U.S. astronauts have lived and worked on the International Space Station since 2000. Scientists from other countries also work in the space laboratory. Plus, NASA has sent robots called rovers to Mars. The agency has also sent spacecraft to other distant places. 

NASA

Cernan on the moon in 1972

More to Explore

Why send humans back to the moon now? One reason is to help NASA prepare for its next big goal: sending people to Mars in the 2040s. The moon is much closer to Earth than Mars is. That makes it the perfect testing ground for sending astronauts deeper into space. 

Scientists are designing a space station called Gateway to orbit the moon. It will act as a base and docking station for spacecraft on the way to and from deep space. 

Cernan and Schmitt spent about three days on the moon, but Artemis astronauts plan to explore it for twice as long. They’ll visit the moon’s south pole, one of the coldest areas in our solar system. 

Experts hope Artemis will encourage kids to become astronauts and scientists—just as the Apollo missions did.

“We hope to inspire a whole new generation,” Kraft says. 

Why send humans back to the moon now? One reason is to help NASA prepare for its next big goal: sending people to Mars in the 2040s. The moon is much closer to Earth than Mars is. That makes it the perfect testing ground for sending astronauts deeper into space. 

Scientists are designing a space station called Gateway. It’s going to orbit the moon. It will act as a base and docking station for spacecraft on the way to and from deep space. 

Cernan and Schmitt spent about three days on the moon. But Artemis astronauts plan to explore it for twice as long. They’ll visit the moon’s south pole. It’s one of the coldest areas in our solar system.

Experts hope Artemis will encourage kids to become astronauts and scientists—just as the Apollo missions did.

“We hope to inspire a whole new generation,” Kraft says. 

A Look at the Moon

Gerry Ellis/Minden Pictures

The U.S. has landed astronauts on the moon six times.

  1. Apollo 11: July 1969
  2. Apollo 12: November 1969
  3. Apollo 14: February 1971
  4. Apollo 15: July 1971
  5. Apollo 16: April 1972
  6. Apollo 17: December 1972

Artemis astronauts are expected to land near the unlabeled red dot. Humans have never visited the moon's south pole.


Sierra Nevada Corp/NASA

It takes astronauts about 3 days to reach the moon. 

A journey to Mars would take about 9 months.


Shutterstock.com

The moon is about a quarter the size of Earth.


Heritage Space/Heritage Images via Getty Images

There is no wind or rain on the moon, so the footprints left by astronauts may be there for millions of years. 


High temperature: 250 degrees Fahrenheit 

Low temperature: –410 degrees Fahrenheit


Shutterstock.com

On average, the moon is 239,000 miles from Earth. 

On average, Mars is 140,000,000 miles from Earth.

Note: The solar system diagram is not drawn to scale.

Source: NASA


A Look at the Moon

Gerry Ellis/Minden Pictures


The U.S. has landed astronauts on the moon six times.

  1. Apollo 11: July 1969
  2. Apollo 12: November 1969
  3. Apollo 14: February 1971
  4. Apollo 15: July 1971
  5. Apollo 16: April 1972
  6. Apollo 17: December 1972

Artemis astronauts are expected to land near the unlabeled red dot. Humans have never visited the moon's south pole.

Sierra Nevada Corp/NASA


It takes astronauts about 3 days to reach the moon. 

A journey to Mars would take about 9 months.

Shutterstock.com


The moon is about a quarter the size of Earth.

Heritage Space/Heritage Images via Getty Images


There is no wind or rain on the moon, so the footprints left by astronauts may be there for millions of years. 


High temperature: 250 degrees Fahrenheit 

Low temperature: –410 degrees Fahrenheit

Shutterstock.com


On average, the moon is 239,000 miles from Earth. 

On average, Mars is 140,000,000 miles from Earth.

Note: The solar system diagram is not drawn to scale.

Source: NASA

  1. Did human space exploration stop in the years after the last human moon landing? Explain.
  2. According to the author, how might sending humans to the moon help NASA prepare to send humans to Mars?
  3. What is the purpose of the sidebar, “A Look at the Moon”?
  1. Did human space exploration stop in the years after the last human moon landing? Explain.
  2. According to the author, how might sending humans to the moon help NASA prepare to send humans to Mars?
  3. What is the purpose of the sidebar, “A Look at the Moon”?
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