The Man and the Moon: A Brief on International Moon Day

Moon Day Quote:

"The moon is a man's everlasting play."

Humans' Love for the Moon 

Since the dawn of time, human civilizations have pondered the origin and mysteries of the Moon, our only natural satellite. Astronomers have gained new insights into the cosmos thanks to ground-based observations that were made possible by the creation of the first telescopes.

Countless missions have been sent to the Moon since space operations first began, including crewed trips that left the first traces of human life on another planet.

This year's commemoration will serve as a memory of the past, but also as a testament to the hopes and dreams for the future of space exploration.

Race to the Moon

During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union dispatched unmanned spacecraft to orbit and land on the moon, resulting in the first lunar exploration.

With January 1959, the Soviets won an early triumph when Luna 1, a tiny Soviet sphere covered in antennae, became the first spacecraft to escape Earth's gravity and travel as close as 4,000 miles to the surface of the moon.

On September 23, 1959, Luna 2 became the first lunar probe to fall into the Mare Imbrium basin between Archimedes and Autolycus craters and was re-launched in 1961. That same year, another Luna mission got its first fuzzy photographs of the moon's rocky, mountainous topography on the far side—a stark contrast to the smooth basins on the side nearest to us.

Nine NASA Ranger spacecraft, launched between 1961 and 1965, provided the first detailed pictures of the moon's surface for scientists. In the Ranger missions, the spacecraft were designed to race toward the moon and acquire as many photographs as possible before crashing to the ground. Photographs from all the Ranger flights by 1965 had revealed more about the moon's harsh topography and the difficulties people may have landing on it safely. This included Ranger 9.

The Luna 9 Soviet spacecraft was the first to successfully touch down on the lunar surface in 1966. The little spacecraft was equipped with scientific and communication equipment and took a low-altitude lunar panorama. Launched later that year, Luna 10 was successfully sent into orbit around the moon.

The first of NASA's Surveyor space probes arrived on the moon's surface that year, carrying cameras to study the lunar surface and soil samplers to examine lunar rock and dirt. Two years later, NASA began five Lunar Orbiter missions planned to orbit the moon and map its surface in preparation for the ultimate goal: putting humans on the moon. As a result, these orbiters captured images of almost all of the moon's surface, paving the path for future space exploration.

The Man to the Moon

After a pledge was made by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, NASA was rushing to fulfil the promise: to place a human on the moon before this century was through. That year saw the start of the Apollo program, the most costly venture in history, which culminated in 1972 with the completion of nine flights and the landing of 24 humans on the moon.

The most well-known of them, Apollo 11, was the first time humans ventured beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Moon lander Eagle and command module Columbia were both in orbit around the moon when Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin set foot on the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969. Armstrong famously declared, "That's one little stride for a man, one huge leap for humanity," after making the first footprints on the moon. It took the two 21 hours and 36 minutes to return to Earth from the moon's surface, after which they reunited with Collins.

U.S. astronaut Edwin (“Buzz”) Aldrin walking on the Moon, July 20, 1969, via Britannica.

After Apollo 11, each subsequent flight broke new ground in space exploration and human presence on the moon. Apollo 12 landed on the moon four months after the first people did, with a considerably more accurate landing.

As a result of an oxygen tank explosion during the mission's April 1970 launch, Apollo 13's crew was forced to cancel their intended landing on the moon. All three were able to pull through.

Commander Alan Shepard achieved a new distance record on the moon during Apollo 14's third lunar landing in January 1971: 9,000 feet. A improvised 6-iron served as his launcher for a few golf balls that ended up in a neighboring crater.

The first of three missions with the capability of spending more time on the moon, Apollo 15 launched in July 1971. Almost the course of three days on the moon, the first piloted moon buggy travelled over 17 kilometers and collected hundreds of pounds of lunar material.

There were two crewed Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 flights in 1972, and Russia's Luna-24 crewless spacecraft landed on the moon in 1976. The geology and development of the moon's moon have been extensively studied via the use of samples gathered during these lunar excursions.

The International Moon Day

In its resolution 76/76 on "International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space," the United Nations General Assembly stated 2021 that the 20th of July would be recognized as International Moon Day.

Moon exploration and use are also going to be highlighted during the festivities, which will be open to all countries.

Important Takeaways

A Chronology of all missions to the moon.

Robotic explorations to the moon.