Big Broad Overview of Lunar Exploration Jessie Jones Alexa Halford Addie Dove Phil Oakley Past technology Past human view Future human view Future technology Past Technology A few examples Launch vehicles Soyuz Getting there Thor Atlas Titan Contact with the moon Direct Ascent Lunar Orbit Rendezvous Earth Orbit Rendezvous If at first you don t succeed 1958 1959 Pioneer 0 17 August 1958 Attempted Lunar Orbit Launch Failure Luna 1958A 23 September 1958 Attempted Lunar Impact Launch Failure Pioneer 1 11 October 1958 Attempted Lunar Orbit Launch Failure Luna 1958B 12 October 1958 Attempted Lunar Impact Launch Failure Pioneer 2 8 November 1958 Attempted Lunar Orbit Launch Failure Luna 1958C 4 December 1958 Attempted Lunar Impact Launch Failure Pioneer 3 6 December 1958 Attempted Lunar Flyby Launch Failure Luna 1 2 January 1959 Lunar Flyby Attempted Lunar Impact 1st Lunar Flyby Pioneer 4 3 March 1959 Lunar Flyby Luna 1959A 16 June 1959 Attempted Lunar Impact Launch Failure Luna 2 12 September 1959 1st Lunar Impact Luna 3 4 October 1959 Lunar Flyby Pioneer P 3 26 November 1959 Attempted Lunar Orbiter Launch Failure 1960 Luna 1960A 15 April 1960 Attempted Lunar Flyby Launch Failure Luna 1960B 18 April 1960 Attempted Lunar Flyby Launch Failure Pioneer P 30 25 September 1960 Attempted Lunar Orbiter Launch Failure Pioneer P 31 15 December 1960 Attempted Lunar Orbiter Launch Failure 1961 1962 Sputnik 25 4 January 1963 Attempted Lunar Lander Luna 1963B 2 February 1963 Attempted Lunar Lander Launch Failure Luna 4 2 April 1963 Attempted Lunar Lander 1964 Ranger 3 26 January 1962 Attempted Lunar Impact Ranger 4 23 April 1962 Lunar Impact Ranger 5 18 October 1962 Attempted Lunar Impact 1963 Ranger 1 23 August 1961 Attempted Lunar Test Flight Ranger 2 18 November 1961 Attempted Lunar Test Flight Ranger 6 30 January 1964 Lunar Impact Cameras Failed Luna 1964B 20 April 1964 Attempted Lunar Lander Launch Failure Zond 1964A 4 June 1964 Attempted Lunar Flyby Launch Failure Ranger 7 28 July 1964 Lunar Impact 1965 Ranger 8 17 February 1965 Lunar Impact Cosmos 60 12 March 1965 Attempted Lunar Lander Ranger 9 21 March 1965 Lunar Impact Luna 1965A 10 April 1965 Attempted Lunar Lander Launch Failure Luna 5 9 May 1965 Lunar Impact Attempted Soft Landing Luna 6 8 June 1965 Attempted Lunar Lander Zond 3 18 July 1965 Lunar Flyby Luna 7 4 October 1965 Lunar Impact Attempted Soft Landing Luna 8 3 December 1965 Lunar Impact Attempted Soft Landing 1966 Luna 9 31 January 1966 1st Lunar Lander Cosmos 111 1 March 1966 Attempted Lunar Orbiter Luna 10 31 March 1966 1st Lunar Orbiter Luna 1966A 30 April 1966 Attempted Lunar Orbiter Launch Failure Surveyor 1 30 May 1966 Lunar Lander Explorer 33 1 July 1966 Attempted Lunar Orbiter Lunar Orbiter 1 10 August 1966 Lunar Orbiter Luna 11 24 August 1966 Lunar Orbiter Surveyor 2 20 September 1966 Attempted Lunar Lander Luna 12 22 October 1966 Lunar Orbiter Lunar Orbiter 2 6 November 1966 Lunar Orbiter Luna 13 21 December 1966 Lunar Lander 1967 Lunar Orbiter 3 4 February 1967 Lunar Orbiter Surveyor 3 17 April 1967 Lunar Lander Lunar Orbiter 4 8 May 1967 Lunar Orbiter Surveyor 4 14 July 1967 Attempted Lunar Lander Explorer 35 IMP E 19 July 1967 Lunar Orbiter Lunar Orbiter 5 1 August 1967 Lunar Orbiter Surveyor 5 8 September 1967 Lunar Lander Zond 1967A 28 September 1967 Attempted Lunar Test Flight Launch Failure Surveyor 6 7 November 1967 Lunar Lander Zond 1967B 22 November 1967 Attempted Lunar Test Flight Launch Failure 1968 Surveyor 7 7 January 1968 Lunar Lander Luna 1968A 7 February 1968 Attempted Lunar Orbiter Launch Failure Luna 14 7 April 1968 Lunar Orbiter Zond 1968A 23 April 1968 Attempted Lunar Test Flight Launch Failure Zond 5 15 September 1968 1st Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth Zond 6 10 November 1968 Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth Apollo 8 21 December 1968 1st Manned Lunar Orbiter 1969 Zond 1969A 20 January 1969 Attempted Lunar Flyby and Return Launch Failure Luna 1969A 19 February 1969 Attempted Lunar Rover Launch Failure Zond L1S 1 21 February 1969 Attempted Lunar Orbiter Launch Failure Luna 1969B 15 April 1969 Attempted Lunar Sample Return Launch Failure Apollo 10 18 May 1969 Manned Lunar Orbiter Luna 1969C 14 June 1969 Attempted Lunar Sample Return Launch Failure Zond L1S 2 3 July 1969 Attempted Lunar Orbiter Launch Failure Luna 15 13 July 1969 Lunar Orbiter Attempted Lunar Lander Apollo 11 16 July 1969 1st Manned Lunar Landing Zond 7 7 August 1969 Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth Cosmos 300 23 September 1969 Attempted Lunar Sample Return Cosmos 305 22 October 1969 Attempted Lunar Sample Return Apollo 12 14 November 1969 Manned Lunar Landing 1970 1971 Apollo 14 31 January 1971 Manned Lunar Landing Apollo 15 26 July 1971 Manned Lunar Landing Luna 18 2 September 1971 Attempted Lunar Sample Return Luna 19 28 September 1971 Lunar Orbiter 1972 Luna 1970A 6 February 1970 Attempted Lunar Sample Return Launch Failure Luna 1970B 19 February 1970 Attempted Lunar Orbiter Launch Failure Apollo 13 11 April 1970 1st Manned Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth Manned Lunar Mission Landing Aborted Luna 16 12 September 1970 1st Unmanned Lunar Sample Return Zond 8 20 October 1970 Lunar Flyby and Return to Earth Luna 17 Lunokhod 1 10 November 1970 1st Lunar Rover Luna 20 14 February 1972 Lunar Sample Return Soyuz L3 23 November 1972 Attempted Lunar Orbiter Launch Failure Apollo 17 7 December 1972 Manned Lunar Landing 1973 Luna 21 Lunokhod 2 8 January 1973 Lunar Rover Limitations Advantages Flexibility Adaptability Orange dirt Ranger 170 million Surveyor 469 million Lunar Orbiter 200 million Apollo 135 billion But better results The Political Bias E 4 A119 Vega early moon probe Goodbye First man in space Prospector science that even Apollo couldn t accomplish Goodbye Too ambitious Block III Ranger science equipment cancelled They ll be on IV and V Missions just for science Goodbye IV and V cancelled Humans on the Moon The past view How it got started We make it public opinion Kennedy announces we are going Why we want human exploration The Apollo Missions The Public s view post Apollo How it all started 1952 Plans for the IGY 1954 the International Council of Scientific Unions adopted a resolution for artificial satellites to launch for the IGY 1955 US Government announced plans to launch an earth orbiting satellite for the IGY 1957 October 4th Sputnik launched October 4 Sputnik 1 Launches http history nasa gov sputnik sputnik wav November 3 Sputnik 2 with Laikia launched spurring the US