The Moon has captured the attention of humankind for as long as we have gazed upon the stars. Reflecting the Sun's light each dark night, its presence reminds us of worlds beyond our own. But astronauts have done much more than simply look upon it. On 20 July 1969, the first humans landed on the Moon. As part of a series of missions dubbed the Apollo program, NASA astronauts returned to Earth with more knowledge of the rocky orb than our species had ever acquired before. But to think that a handful of missions to this world would make us experts of this foreign terrain would be a mistake. We have only explored a tiny portion of the Moon, and there is still so much more to learn.
It's been half a century since we last visited the Moon, and NASA has made clear its plans to place the next astronauts on its surface by 2025. At least two more people will follow in the few dusty footsteps of the Apollo program's moonwalkers. When the Apollo program was launched, we knew few details about the silvery sphere that graces our skies. Upon the astronauts' successful return to Earth with samples from the Moon, we were able to learn the majority of what we know today about our planet's natural satellite. We learned that the surface of the Moon has a dust covering and the structure contains a core, mantle, and crust just like Earth's. For Apollo, putting humans on the Moon was the main and final goal. It provided us with a better understanding of what was previously an uncharted and unimaginable environment. Soon this territory is to be further explored, and humanity's achievements in space travel will be expanded upon.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MYSTERIES OF THE UNI WHERE ARE ALL THE SPIRAL GALAXIES?
There are far fewer spiral galaxies than elliptical ones in the Supergalactic Plane, and scientists are keen to discover why
ZOMBIE STARS
+10 OTHER TERRIFYING SPACE OBJECTS
HOW TO BEAT LIGHT POLLUTION
Thought it was impossible to observe the wonders of the night sky from towns and cities? Think again. Follow our tips and tricks on successfully observing through sky glow
15 STUNNING STAR CLUSTERS
These beautiful stellar groupings are spattered across the cosmos
Eileen Collins "It was a difficult mission...we were the first to see Mir"
Having served as both the first female pilot and first female commander of NASA's Space Shuttle, Collins boosted the involvement of women in space exploration to a whole new level
MARS LEAKS FASTER WHEN IT'S CLOSER TO THE SUN
The Red Planet has lost enough water to space to form a global ocean hundreds of kilometres deep
FUTURE TECH KANKOH-MARU
This ambitious reusable spacecraft will be capable of taking 50 people to and from orbit
THE FINAL FRONTIER
Beyond the reach of the Sun is a fascinating region of the cosmos that were only just beginning to explore
A long-lost moon could explain Mars' weird shape and extreme terrain
A long-lost moon could explain why Mars is so different from the other rocky planets in the Solar System. Today Mars has two tiny moons.
A sprinkling of cosmic dust may have helped kick-start life on Earth
Cosmic dust may have helped kick-start life on Earth. New findings challenge a widely held assumption that this wasn't a plausible explanation.