A Look at the Apollo 12 Space Mission

While the first mission to the moon gets all the attention, it is important to note that subsequent missions made great scientific breakthroughs as well. As the technology used to send men into space continued to mature, other space missions were planned and executed, and those missions helped us gain a new understanding of the universe and our place in the cosmos. One of the most fascinating missions of the original space flight was launched on November 14,1969 and landed on the moon some 10 days later on November 24. The Apollo 12 mission to the moon explored the so-called Ocean of Storms on the moon, one of the most fascinating parts of the lunar landscape. The mission was led by Charles Conrad, a notable figure in the world of manned spaceflight. Conrad piloted his Saturn V rocket to a pinpoint landing on the lunar surface, proving that such a precise landing was indeed possible. This was an important goal in and of itself, since the earlier Apollo 11 mission had landed some four miles from its intended target.

The Apollo 12 mission also set up an self-sustaining scientific station that would record valuable scientific data about the lunar surface and the surrounding landscape. The scientific instruments deployed during the mission included a seismometer to measure geologic activity, a magnetometer to search for a lunar magnetic field and a sensor to explore the atmosphere. The Apollo 12 mission also visited the site of the Surveyor III spacecraft in order to collect parts of the probe so that they could be studied. When the Apollo 12 mission reached the moon some 10 days after initially blasting off from the earth Conrad would prove that a pinpoint landing on the lunar surface was indeed possible. When Conrad landed in the middle of a blinding dust storm he managed to put the ship down in nearly the exact location NASA had mapped out. After that pinpoint landing Conrad would become only the third man to set foot on the lunar surface.

The primary goal of the first excursion away from the lunar lander was the deployment of the scientific instruments that would record valuable information about the atmospheric, seismic and magnetic conditions on the moon. All of this was accomplished without major incidents, and the instruments began their recording as expected.