List Of Apollo Astronauts - Wikipedia

Astronauts from NASA's Apollo program

As part of the Apollo program by NASA, 24 astronauts flew nine missions to the Moon between December 1968 and December 1972. During six successful two-man landing missions, twelve men walked on the lunar surface, six of whom drove Lunar Roving Vehicles as part of the last three missions. Three men have been to the Moon twice, one orbited once and took a circumlunar trajectory the second time, while the other two landed once apiece. Apart from these 24 men, no human being has gone beyond low Earth orbit. As of January 2026[update], five of the 24 remain alive.[1][better source needed] A number of non-human animals have circled or orbited it, including two tortoises, several turtles, and five mice.

Apollo missions 8 and 10–17 were the nine crewed missions to the Moon. Apollo 4–6 and AS-201 and AS-202 were uncrewed, while AS-203 is considered a test flight. The Apollo program included three other crewed missions: Apollo 1 (AS-204) did not launch and its crew died in a ground-based capsule fire, while Apollo 7 and Apollo 9 were low Earth orbit missions that tested spacecraft components and docking maneuvers. Apollo missions 18, 19, and 20 were canceled. Twelve astronauts later flew unused Apollo command modules in the Apollo Applications Program's Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz Test Project. Of the 24 astronauts who flew to the Moon, two went on to command a Skylab mission, one commanded Apollo–Soyuz, one flew as commander for Approach and Landing Tests of the Space Shuttle, and two commanded orbital Space Shuttle missions.

Prime crew members

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NASA's Director of Flight Crew Operations during the Gemini and Apollo programs was Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts, who was medically grounded in September 1962 due to a minor cardiac arrhythmia – paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Slayton was responsible for making all Gemini and Apollo crew assignments. In March 1972, Slayton was restored to flight status, and flew on the 1975 Apollo–Soyuz Test Project mission.

The prime crew members selected for actual missions are here grouped by their NASA astronaut selection groups, and within each group in the order selected for flight. Two versions of the Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) spacecraft were developed: Block I, intended for preliminary low Earth orbit testing; and Block II, redesigned for the lunar landing. The Block I crew position titles were Command Pilot, Senior Pilot (second seat), and Pilot (third seat). The corresponding Block II titles were: Commander, Command Module Pilot, and Lunar Module Pilot. The second seat pilot was given secondary responsibility for celestial navigation to keep the CSM's guidance computer accurately calibrated with the spacecraft's true position, and the third seat pilot served as a flight engineer, monitoring the health of the spacecraft systems.

Apollo astronauts by their dates of selection by NASA

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1959

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• Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom began his career at NASA in 1959. In 1966, he was selected as Command Pilot for the first crewed Apollo mission, a low Earth orbit test. This mission ended a month before its scheduled launch,[2] when a cabin fire on the launch pad killed Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee on January 27, 1967.[3][4]
• Walter M. Schirra Jr. also began his NASA career in 1959. He was selected in October 1968 as Command Pilot for Apollo 7, an 11-day, low Earth orbit shakedown test of the three-man Apollo Command/Service Module and the first crewed launch for the Apollo project.
• Alan B. Shepard Jr. – America's first man in space on Freedom 7 was originally selected to command Gemini 3, but was medically grounded for the duration of Gemini due to Ménière's disease and assisted Slayton in Flight Operations. After corrective surgery, Shepard was restored to flight status and commanded Apollo 14, the third successful Moon landing mission.

1962

[edit] Further information: NASA Astronaut Group 2

All of these astronauts flew on Gemini, and except for White, each commanded one Gemini and one Apollo mission:

• Edward H. White II – Second-seat veteran of Gemini 4 who made the United States' first walk in space, selected as Senior Pilot (second seat) on Apollo 1. White was killed in the Apollo 1 fire along with Grissom and Chaffee.
• James A. McDivitt – Commander of Gemini 4, selected in late 1966 to command the first Earth orbital flight test of the Apollo Lunar Module with the CSM. This mission flew in March 1969 as Apollo 9. After his flight, McDivitt was promoted to Manager of Lunar Landing Operations, and in August 1969 was promoted to Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program.
• Frank F. Borman II – Commander of Gemini 7, selected to command a higher Earth orbit test of the complete Apollo spacecraft. But when delays prevented the LM from being ready in time for its first flight in December 1968, Borman's mission was changed to the first lunar orbital flight of the CSM on Apollo 8.
• James A. Lovell Jr. – Second-seat veteran of Gemini 7, and commander of Gemini 12, flew as Command Module Pilot (second seat) on Apollo 8. Lovell became the first to fly a second Apollo mission as commander of Apollo 13, the third lunar landing attempt. This mission was unsuccessful, due to a Service Module electrical system failure caused by an oxygen tank explosion. Lovell and his crew managed to return to Earth safely. Lovell is the only person to fly to the Moon twice without landing there.
• Thomas P. Stafford – Second-seat veteran of Gemini 6A and commander of Gemini 9A, commanded a lunar orbital test of the Lunar Module on Apollo 10. He also commanded the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project mission.
• John W. Young – Second-seat veteran of Gemini 3 and commander of Gemini 10, flew as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 10. Young later commanded the successful Apollo 16 lunar landing. He also commanded the first Space Shuttle flight, STS-1 Columbia, April 12–14, 1981, and STS-9, also on Columbia, November 28 – December 8, 1983.
• Neil A. Armstrong – Commander of Gemini 8, commanded Apollo 11, becoming the first human to set foot on the Moon.
• Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. – Second-seat veteran of Gemini 5 and commander of Gemini 11, commanded Apollo 12, the second lunar landing. He went on to command Skylab 2, successfully completing repairs to the spacecraft that saved it for this and two subsequent missions.

1963

[edit] Further information: NASA Astronaut Group 3

This was the first class of astronauts for which test pilot experience was not required, but military jet fighter pilot experience was acceptable.

Five of this group got their first spaceflight experience as second seat on Gemini:

• David R. Scott – Second-seat veteran of Gemini 8, flew as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 9, and commanded the Apollo 15 lunar landing.
• Eugene A. Cernan – Second-seat veteran on Gemini 9A, flew as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 10, and commanded the final lunar landing mission Apollo 17.
• Michael Collins – Second-seat veteran on Gemini 10, flew as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 11.
• Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. – Second-seat veteran on Gemini 12, flew as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 11, the first Moon landing.
• Richard F. Gordon Jr. – Second-seat veteran on Gemini 11, flew as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 12. Gordon was selected to command the Apollo 18 lunar landing, which was later canceled.

The remaining six members of this group were selected for their first space flights on Apollo:

• Roger B. Chaffee – Selected as Pilot (third seat) on Apollo 1, was killed with Grissom and White in the fire.
• Donn F. Eisele – Flew second seat on Apollo 7.
• R. Walter Cunningham – Flew third seat on Apollo 7.
• Russell L. "Rusty" Schweickart – Flew as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 9. Schweickart performed an EVA outside the spacecraft, testing the portable life support system used on the Moon.
• William A. Anders – Flew third seat on Apollo 8.
• Alan L. Bean – Flew as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 12. He later served as commander for Skylab 3.

1965

[edit] Further information: NASA Astronaut Group 4

In June 1965, NASA named a group of five scientist astronauts, the first group qualified by doctorate degrees rather than test or military fighter pilot experience.[nb 1] Geologist Harrison H. "Jack" Schmitt participated heavily in the geological training of the lunar landing astronauts, as well as assisting in the analysis of returned samples and the preparation of mission reports. In 1970, he was selected as Lunar Module Pilot for the Apollo 15 backup crew, and prime crew on Apollo 18. When program cutbacks canceled missions 18 through 20, NASA's lunar geological community insisted on having a geologist on the Moon, so Slayton reassigned Schmitt to Apollo 17.

1966

[edit] Further information: NASA Astronaut Group 5

NASA named a group of 19 more astronauts in April 1966. None had spaceflight experience before their Apollo mission.

• T. Kenneth Mattingly II – Selected as prime Command Module Pilot for Apollo 13, Mattingly was exposed to German measles days before the flight and was grounded by the flight surgeon, though ultimately did not contract the disease. He swapped places with his backup and flew on Apollo 16. He also flew on STS-4 and STS-51-C.
• John L. "Jack" Swigert Jr. – Flew as Mattingly's backup on Apollo 13.
• Fred W. Haise Jr. – Flew as Lunar Module Pilot on the unsuccessful Apollo 13. Haise was selected to command the Apollo 19 lunar landing, which was canceled. Haise would later be named commander of the first crew for the Space Shuttle's Approach and Landing Tests using the prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise.
• Stuart A. Roosa – Command Module Pilot on Apollo 14.
• Edgar D. Mitchell – Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 14.
• Alfred M. Worden – Command Module Pilot on Apollo 15.
• James B. Irwin – Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 15.
• Charles M. Duke Jr. – First achieved public recognition as capsule communicator during the Apollo 11 Moon landing; notable for the quote: "...we copy you on the ground. You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue; we're breathing again. Thanks a lot."[5] Duke flew as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 16.
• Ronald E. Evans Jr. – Command Module Pilot on Apollo 17.

Astronauts who trained for Apollo but did not fly

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• L. Gordon Cooper Jr. – from the Mercury Seven; veteran of Mercury Faith 7 and commander of Gemini 5, was replaced as Apollo 14 commander by Alan Shepard and resigned from NASA in 1970.
• Clifton C. "C.C." Williams Jr. – from Group 3; was named as Schweickart's Lunar Module Pilot backup crew, but was killed when the T-38 jet he was flying crashed near Tallahassee, Florida on October 5, 1967. He was replaced by Bean, who flew on Apollo 12.
• Vance D. Brand – from Group 5; was on the support crew for Apollo 8 and Apollo 13; was named as Apollo 15 backup Command Module Pilot. Flew on the 1975 Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (not a flight of the Apollo program). He also flew as commander of STS-5, STS-41-B and STS-35.
• Edward G. Givens Jr. – from Group 5; was on the support crew of Apollo 7, but died in a car crash near Houston, Texas on June 6, 1967.
• Joe H. Engle – from Group 5; was originally named as Apollo 17 Lunar Module Pilot, but lost his slot to Schmitt. After Apollo, he flew in the Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests, then commanded STS-2 and STS-51-I.

Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon

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Twelve men walked on the Moon during six Moon landings of the Apollo program between July 1969 and December 1972. All landed on the surface only once, and five missions consisted of two or more surface extravehicular activities (EVAs). Four of them are alive as of February 2026[update] with an average age of 92.6 years. Most astronauts at that time came from the military services and were considered to be on active duty during their NASA service. The few exceptions were considered civilian NASA astronauts, regardless of any prior military service.

On the last of their three Apollo 17 EVAs, Harrison Schmitt stepped out of the Apollo Lunar Module onto the surface of the Moon after Gene Cernan, and is therefore the 12th and most recent person to have stepped out onto the Moon. When they re-entered the Lunar Module Cernan stepped in last, and is therefore the last person to have walked on the Moon.

Alan Shepard was the oldest person to walk on the Moon, at age 47 years and 80 days. Charles Duke was the youngest, at age 36 years and 201 days.

Jim Lovell and Fred Haise were scheduled to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 13 mission, but the lunar landing was aborted following an explosion in the spacecraft service module en route to the Moon. Haise was scheduled to walk on the Moon as commander of Apollo 19, but Apollo 18 and Apollo 19 were canceled on September 2, 1970.

Joe Engle had trained on the backup crew for Apollo 14 to explore the Moon with Cernan, but he was replaced by Schmitt on the primary crew for Apollo 17. Schmitt had previously been crewed with Apollo 12 Command Module pilot Dick Gordon in anticipation of Apollo 18, but Schmitt replaced Engle on Apollo 17 after the cancellation of Apollo 18 and Apollo 19, leaving Gordon as the last Apollo astronaut to train extensively for lunar exploration without ever landing on the Moon.

Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon

Portrait	Name and group	Born	Died	Age atfirst step	Mission	Lunar Module Landing Time (UTC)[6]	Lunar Module Ascent Time (UTC)[6]	Elapsed Time on Lunar Surface	Lunar EVAs[6]	Total EVA Duration[6]	Military service	Alma mater
1		Neil Armstrong(NASA Astronaut Group 2)	(1930-08-05)August 5, 1930	August 25, 2012(2012-08-25) (aged 82)	38y 11m 15d	Apollo 11	July 20, 1969 at 20:17	July 21, 1969 at 17:54	21 hours 37 minutes	1	2 hours 31 minutes	Civilian[nb 2] (Navy veteran)	Purdue University, University of Southern California
2		Buzz Aldrin(NASA Astronaut Group 3)	(1930-01-20) January 20, 1930 (age 96)	39y 6m 0d	1					2 hours 31 minutes	Air Force	United States Military Academy, MIT
3		Pete Conrad(NASA Astronaut Group 2)	(1930-06-02)June 2, 1930	July 8, 1999(1999-07-08) (aged 69)	39y 5m 17d	Apollo 12	November 19, 1969 at 6:54	November 20, 1969 at 14:25	1 day 7 hours 31 minutes	2	7 hours 45 minutes	Navy	Princeton University
4		Alan Bean(NASA Astronaut Group 3)	(1932-03-15)March 15, 1932	May 26, 2018(2018-05-26) (aged 86)	37y 8m 4d					2	7 hours 45 minutes	Navy	University of Texas, Austin
5		Alan Shepard(Mercury Seven)	(1923-11-18)November 18, 1923	July 21, 1998(1998-07-21) (aged 74)	47y 2m 18d	Apollo 14	February 5, 1971 at 9:18	February 6, 1971 at 18:48	1 day 9 hours 30 minutes	2	9 hours 22 minutes	Navy	United States Naval Academy, Naval War College
6		Edgar Mitchell(NASA Astronaut Group 5)	(1930-09-17)September 17, 1930	February 4, 2016(2016-02-04) (aged 85)	40y 4m 19d					2	9 hours 22 minutes	Navy	Carnegie Mellon University, Naval Postgraduate School, MIT
7		David Scott(NASA Astronaut Group 3)	(1932-06-06) June 6, 1932 (age 93)	39y 1m 25d	Apollo 15	July 30, 1971 at 22:16	August 2, 1971 at 17:11	2 days 18 hours 55 minutes	3	18 hours 34 minutes	Air Force	University of Michigan, United States Military Academy, MIT
8		James Irwin(NASA Astronaut Group 5)	(1930-03-17)March 17, 1930	August 8, 1991(1991-08-08) (aged 61)					41y 4m 14d	3	18 hours 34 minutes	Air Force	United States Naval Academy, University of Michigan
9		John Young(NASA Astronaut Group 2)	(1930-09-24)September 24, 1930	January 5, 2018(2018-01-05) (aged 87)	41y 6m 28d	Apollo 16	April 21, 1972 at 2:23	April 24, 1972 at 1:25	2 days 23 hours 2 minutes	3	20 hours 14 minutes	Navy	Georgia Institute of Technology
10		Charles Duke(NASA Astronaut Group 5)	(1935-10-03) October 3, 1935 (age 90)	36y 6m 18d	3					20 hours 14 minutes	Air Force	United States Naval Academy, MIT
11		Eugene Cernan(NASA Astronaut Group 3)	(1934-03-14)March 14, 1934	January 16, 2017(2017-01-16) (aged 82)	38y 9m 7d	Apollo 17	December 11, 1972 at 19:54	December 14, 1972 at 22:54	3 days 3 hours 0 minutes	3	22 hours 3 minutes	Navy	Purdue University, Naval Postgraduate School
12		Harrison Schmitt(NASA Astronaut Group 4)	(1935-07-03) July 3, 1935 (age 90)	37y 5m 8d	3					22 hours 3 minutes	Civilian[nb 3]	Caltech, University of Oslo, Harvard University

Apollo astronauts who flew to the Moon without landing

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Besides the 12 people who have walked on the Moon, 12 more have flown to within 0.001 lunar distance of its surface. As of November 2025[update], only Fred Haise is alive at age 92 years. During each of the six missions with successful lunar landings, one astronaut remained in lunar orbit while the other two landed. In addition, the three-person crews of Apollo 8 and Apollo 10 also entered lunar orbit, and the crew of Apollo 13 looped around the Moon on a free-return trajectory.

All nine crewed missions to the Moon took place as part of the Apollo program over a period of just under four years, from December 21, 1968, to December 19, 1972. The 24 people who have flown to the Moon are the only people who have traveled beyond low Earth orbit.

Jim Lovell, John Young, and Eugene Cernan are the only three people to have flown to the Moon twice. Young and Cernan each set foot on it during their respective second lunar missions, while Lovell is the only person to have flown to the Moon twice without landing.

During Cernan's first lunar mission on Apollo 10, he tied the present record set by Bill Anders on Apollo 8 as the youngest person to fly to the Moon. Each was 35 years and 65 days old on his launch date and 35 years and 68 days old when he entered lunar orbit. The oldest person to fly to the Moon was Alan Shepard, who walked on its surface during the Apollo 14 mission. Shepard was 47 years and 74 days old on his launch date and 47 years and 78 days old when he entered lunar orbit.

Jim Lovell and Fred Haise were scheduled to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 13 mission, but the lunar landing was aborted following a major malfunction en route to the Moon.[7] Haise was again scheduled to walk on the Moon as commander of Apollo 19, but Apollo 18 and Apollo 19 were canceled in 1970. Because of Apollo 13's free-return trajectory, Lovell, Swigert and Haise flew higher above the Moon's 180° meridian (opposite Earth) than anyone else has flown (254 km/158 mi). Coincidentally, due to the Moon's distance from Earth at the time, they simultaneously set the present record for humans' greatest distance from Earth, reaching an altitude of 400,171 km (248,655 mi) above sea level at 0:21 UTC on April 15, 1970.

Apollo astronauts who flew to the Moon without landing

Portrait	Name and group	Born	Died	Age	Mission	Military service	Notes
1		Frank Borman(NASA Astronaut Group 2)	(1928-03-14)March 14, 1928	November 7, 2023(2023-11-07) (aged 95)	40	Apollo 8 December 21–27, 1968	Air Force
2		Jim Lovell(NASA Astronaut Group 2)	(1928-03-25)March 25, 1928	August 7, 2025(2025-08-07) (aged 97)	4042	Apollo 8 December 21–27, 1968 Apollo 13 April 11–17, 1970	Navy	Intended to land on Apollo 13; only person to fly to the Moon twice without landing.
3		Bill Anders(NASA Astronaut Group 3)	(1933-10-17)October 17, 1933	June 7, 2024(2024-06-07) (aged 90)	35	Apollo 8 December 21–27, 1968	Air Force
4		Tom Stafford(NASA Astronaut Group 2)	(1930-09-17)September 17, 1930	March 18, 2024(2024-03-18) (aged 93)	38	Apollo 10 May 18–26, 1969	Air Force	Later flew on Apollo–Soyuz Test Project.
5		Michael Collins(NASA Astronaut Group 3)	(1930-10-31)October 31, 1930	April 28, 2021(2021-04-28) (aged 90)	38	Apollo 11 July 16–24, 1969	Air Force
6		Dick Gordon(NASA Astronaut Group 3)	(1929-10-05)October 5, 1929	November 6, 2017(2017-11-06) (aged 88)	40	Apollo 12 November 14–24, 1969	Navy	Trained to land, slated for Apollo 18 (canceled).[8]
7		Jack Swigert(NASA Astronaut Group 5)	(1931-08-30)August 30, 1931	December 27, 1982(1982-12-27) (aged 51)	38	Apollo 13 April 11–17, 1970	Air Force
8		Fred Haise(NASA Astronaut Group 5)	(1933-11-14) November 14, 1933 (age 92)	36	Apollo 13 April 11–17, 1970	Marines, Air Force	Intended to land; later trained to land and slated to command Apollo 19 (canceled);[8] flew the Space Shuttle on approach / landing tests.
9		Stuart Roosa(NASA Astronaut Group 5)	(1933-08-16)August 16, 1933	December 12, 1994(1994-12-12) (aged 61)	37	Apollo 14 January 31 – February 9, 1971	Air Force	In rotation to land on Apollo 20 (canceled).
10		Alfred Worden(NASA Astronaut Group 5)	(1932-02-07)February 7, 1932	March 18, 2020(2020-03-18) (aged 88)	39	Apollo 15 July 26 – August 7, 1971	Air Force
11		Ken Mattingly(NASA Astronaut Group 5)	(1936-03-17)March 17, 1936	October 31, 2023(2023-10-31) (aged 87)	36	Apollo 16 April 16–27, 1972	Navy	Later flew two Space Shuttle missions.
12		Ronald Evans(NASA Astronaut Group 5)	(1933-11-10)November 10, 1933	April 7, 1990(1990-04-07) (aged 56)	39	Apollo 17 December 7–19, 1972	Navy

Lunar activities

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Armstrong descended the Lunar Module Eagle ladder and spoke his famous epigram, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."[9] He then went to work on collecting the contingency sample, which was a scoop of the lunar surface collected early in the mission in case there was an emergency.[10] Armstrong took the TV camera off the Lunar Module and mounted it to a tripod.[11] After that, Aldrin descended the ladder to join Armstrong.[12] Aldrin egressed to the surface about nineteen minutes after Armstrong.[13] They had some trouble planting the American flag into the lunar soil, but were able to secure it into the surface. Aldrin positioned himself in front of a video camera and began experimenting with different locomotion techniques on the surface.[14] During these experiments, Armstrong and Aldrin received a phone call from President Nixon, congratulating them for the successful landing.[15]

Aldrin then set to work documenting the condition of the spacecraft to ensure it was in proper condition for their upcoming launch. After setting up a couple of experiments with Armstrong, Aldrin went to work hammering a tube into the lunar surface to obtain a core sample.[16] Aldrin's EVA ended when they loaded the lunar samples into the spacecraft and tossed out unneeded items, just before sealing the hatch.[11] Armstrong performed the majority of the photography on the surface, which is why there are only five photos of him on the Moon.[17]

Soon after piloting the Lunar Module Falcon to a landing at Hadley Rille, Scott accomplished the only stand-up EVA through the lander's top hatch, using it as a high place from which to refine the geology traverses he and Irwin would undertake during the following days. Scott became the first to drive a vehicle on the Moon as he drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle, more than doubling Apollo 14's EVA time. After the final traverse, back outside the LM, Scott performed a demonstration of Galileo's theory that all objects fall at the same rate in vacuum by dropping a hammer and a feather for the television camera.

Irwin came onto the lunar surface soon after his commander, Scott. As the LRV's first passenger, he had an often rough ride as Scott swerved to avoid craters.[18] It was Irwin who, during the second EVA, first spotted the Genesis Rock and aided Scott in collecting this bit of the early lunar crust.[19] A man of deep Christian religious faith, Irwin quoted from Psalms while on the lunar surface and later became an evangelist.[20]

Apollo astronauts who never flew to the Moon

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In addition to the nine lunar missions, there were two crewed flights in the Apollo program that remained in Earth orbit to test fly the spacecraft. Apollo 7 was a crewed test flight of the CSM, and Apollo 9 was a crewed flight test of the CSM and LEM. Of the six astronauts who participated in these missions, five were never rotated to a lunar mission. In addition, the three Skylab missions and Apollo–Soyuz Test Project used crewed CSMs in Earth orbit and are considered part of the Apollo Applications Project. Although Conrad, Bean, and Stafford commanded three of these four flights, the remaining crew members were rookies and thus had long missed the opportunity to fly a Moon mission. Of the seven rookies who flew Skylab, three of them (Paul J. Weitz, Owen K. Garriott, and Jack R. Lousma) would return to space aboard the Space Shuttle. Vance Brand flew on ASTP as Command Module Pilot and would command three Shuttle missions. Except for Garriott, all Apollo astronauts who also flew on the Shuttle served as commander.

• Walter M. Schirra Jr. – Commander of Apollo 7.
• Donn F. Eisele – Command Module Pilot of Apollo 7
• R. Walter Cunningham – Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 7
• James A. McDivitt – Commander of Apollo 9
• Russell L. "Rusty" Schweickart – Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 9
• Joseph P. Kerwin – Science Pilot of Skylab 2
• Paul J. Weitz – Pilot of Skylab 2
• Owen K. Garriott – Science Pilot of Skylab 3
• Jack R. Lousma – Pilot of Skylab 3
• Gerald P. Carr – Commander of Skylab 4
• Edward G. Gibson – Science Pilot of Skylab 4
• William R. Pogue – Pilot of Skylab 4
• Vance D. Brand – Command Module Pilot of Apollo–Soyuz Test Project
• Donald K. Slayton – Docking Module Pilot of Apollo–Soyuz Test Project

Astronauts who died during the Apollo Program

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Three astronauts died on the ground while training for the first crewed Apollo mission, Apollo 1.[21]

Position	Astronaut
Command Pilot	Virgil I. "Gus" GrissomWould have been third spaceflight
Senior Pilot	Edward H. White IIWould have been second spaceflight
Pilot	Roger B. ChaffeeWould have been first spaceflight

See also

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• Mercury Seven
• List of Gemini astronauts
• List of Artemis astronauts

Notes

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1. ^ Note: Edwin Aldrin and Eugene Cernan were selected for Group 3 without having been test pilots, though both were fighter pilots in the Air Force and Navy respectively.
2. ^ Armstrong had mustered out of the US Navy, and was already a NASA test pilot when he and Elliot See became the first civilian astronauts in Astronaut Group 2; see Armstrong's NASA biography and a description of his receiving a NASA award Archived June 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, among others.
3. ^ Schmitt, a geologist, was chosen as a scientist in Astronaut Group 4.

References

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1. ^ Fell, Ben (August 8, 2025). "Nasa Apollo missions: Stories of the last Moon men". UK: BBC. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
2. ^ George E. Mueller, Associate Administrator of the Office of Manned Spaceflight, issued a directive on April 24, 1967, that the mission would be officially recorded as Apollo 1, "first manned Apollo Saturn flight - failed on ground test." Ertel, Ivan D.; Newkirk, Roland W.; Brooks, Courtney G. (1978). "Vol.11, part 1 (1967 Mar/Apr), March 25 - April 24". NASA SP-4009: The Apollo Spacecraft – A Chronology. NASA. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
3. ^ Zornio, Mary C. Detailed Biographies of Apollo I Crew - "Gus Grissom", NASA, accessed July 19, 2006.
4. ^ Slayton, Donald K; Cassutt, Michael (1994). Deke!: U.S. Manned Space from Mercury to the Shuttle (1st ed.). New York City: Forge: St. Martin's Press. p. 234. ISBN 0-312-85503-6. LCCN 94-2463. OCLC 29845663.
5. ^ "Footagevault, Project MOCR". Archived from the original on June 15, 2013.
6. ^ a b c d Orloff 2000.
7. ^ Tate, Karl (April 13, 2015). "How Apollo 13's Dangerous Survival Mission Worked (Infographic)". Space.com. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
8. ^ a b Williams, David R. "Apollo 18 through 20 - The Cancelled Missions". NASA.gov. Retrieved July 19, 2006.
9. ^ Mikkelson, Barbara; Mikkelson, David (October 2006). "One Small Misstep: Neil Armstrong's First Words on the Moon". Snopes.com. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
10. ^ Meyer, Charles (2009). "Lunar Sample Compendium: Contingency Soil (10010)" (PDF). Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science. NASA. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
11. ^ a b Jones, Eric M.; Glover, Ken, eds. (1995). "First Steps". Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal. NASA. Retrieved September 23, 2006.
12. ^ Jones, Eric M., ed. (1995). "One Small Step". Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal. NASA. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
13. ^ Orloff 2000, pp. 102–110.
14. ^ Chaikin 2007, pp. 212–213.
15. ^ Chaikin 2007, p. 215.
16. ^ Chaikin 2007, pp. 216–217.
17. ^ Jones, Eric M. (July 28, 2011). "AS11-40-5886". Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal. NASA. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
18. ^ Chaikin 2007, pp. 417–418.
19. ^ Chaikin 2007, pp. 430–431.
20. ^ Chaikin 2007, pp. 437, 442, 557–558.
21. ^ "Apollo 1 Prime and Backup Crews". NASA. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2017.

• Chaikin, Andrew (2007) [1994]. A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-311235-8. OCLC 958200469.
• Hansen, James R. (2012). First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-2781-3. OCLC 1029741947.
• Orloff, Richard W. (2000). Apollo by the Numbers: A Statistical Reference. NASA History Series. Washington, DC: NASA History Division, Office of Policy and Plans. ISBN 978-0-16-050631-4. LCCN 00061677. OCLC 829406439. NASA SP-2000-4029. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
• Thompson, Neal (2004). Light This Candle: The Life & Times of Alan Shepard, America's First Spaceman (1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0-609-61001-5. LCCN 2003015688. OCLC 52631310.

External links

[edit]

• "Human Space Flight - Apollo History". NASA. January 30, 2004. Archived from the original on August 25, 1999. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
• One Giant Leap for Mankind: 35th Anniversary of Apollo 11, NASA, Michael Makara, accessed July 14, 2006

v t e People who have traveled to the Moon
Walked on the Moon	Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11) Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) Pete Conrad (Apollo 12) Alan Bean (Apollo 12) Alan Shepard (Apollo 14) Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14) David Scott (Apollo 15) James Irwin (Apollo 15) John Young (Apollo 16) Charles Duke (Apollo 16) Gene Cernan (Apollo 17) Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17)
Flew to the Moonwithout landing	William Anders (Apollo 8) Frank Borman (Apollo 8) Jim Lovell (Apollo 8, Apollo 13) Thomas Stafford (Apollo 10) Michael Collins (Apollo 11) Dick Gordon (Apollo 12) Fred Haise (Apollo 13) Jack Swigert (Apollo 13) Stuart Roosa (Apollo 14) Al Worden (Apollo 15) Ken Mattingly (Apollo 16) Ronald Evans (Apollo 17)
Apollo program Saturn V Command and Service Module Lunar Module Lunar Roving Vehicle Exploration of the Moon

v t e Spaceflight lists and timelines
Timeline of spaceflight
General	Space exploration outline timeline Spacecraft Spaceflight records Space Race Rocket and missile technology
Human spaceflight	General Crewed spacecraft timeline by program Spaceflights 1961–1970 1971–1980 1981–1990 1991–2000 2001–2010 2011–2020 2021–present Soviet Russian Vostok and Voskhod Soyuz Mercury Gemini Apollo Skylab Shenzhou Gaganyaan Spacelab Artemis Civilian spaceflight Orbital Suborbital Salyut Expeditions Spaceflights crewed uncrewed Spacewalks Visitors Mir Expeditions ESA Spaceflights crewed uncrewed Spacewalks Visitors ISS Expeditions ESA Visiting Spaceflights crewed uncrewed Spacewalks Visitors Deployed Tiangong Expeditions Crewed Spaceflights Spacewalks Shuttle Crews Missions Rollbacks People Astronauts by name by year of selection Apollo Gemini Mercury African American Arab Asian Chinese Cosmonauts European Ibero-America Indian Muslim Women Space scientists Space travelers by name by first flight by nationality billionaires timeline by nationality Spaceflight-related human fatalities EVA 1965–1999 2000–2014 2015–2024 2025–present Cumulative spacewalk records Longest spacewalks Spacewalkers
Solar Systemexploration	Timeline Interplanetary voyages Landings on other planets rovers artificial objects Objects at Lagrange points Probes active future orbiters leaving the Solar System lunar probes Missions to the Moon Timeline of satellites Sample-return mission Mars
Earth-orbitingsatellites	Communications satellite firsts CubeSats PocketQube Earth observation satellites Timeline of first Earth observation satellites Geosynchronous orbit GOES GPS Kosmos Magnetospheric NRO TDRS USA
Vehicles	Orbital launch systems Comparison Sounding rocket list Spacecraft uncrewed crewed heaviest Upper stages Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
Launchesby rocket type	Ariane Antares Atlas Atlas LV3B Atlas LV3C Black Brant Delta DM-19 Delta 1 Delta II Delta III Delta IV Heavy Delta IV Medium Delta IV Electron Firefly Alpha Falcon 9 and Heavy 2010–2019 2020–2022 2023 GSLV H-II and H3 Kosmos Long March Minotaur New Glenn Proton PSLV R-7 (including Semyorka, Molniya, Vostok, Voskhod and Soyuz) Scout SLS Starship Thor and Delta Thor-Agena Thor DM-18 Able Thor DM-18 Agena-A Thor DM-18 Thor DM-21 Agena-B Titan Tsyklon V-2 tests Vega Vulcan Zenit
Launches by spaceport	Satish Dhawan
Agencies, companiesand facilities	Communications satellite companies comparison Private spaceflight companies Rocket launch sites Space agencies Spacecraft manufacturers
Other mission listsand timelines	First orbital launches by country First satellites by country NASA missions Constellation missions Timeline of first images of Earth from space Timeline of longest spaceflights Timeline of private spaceflight

v t e Spacecraft missions to the Moon
Explorationprograms	American Apollo Artemis CLPS Lunar Orbiter Lunar Precursor Pioneer Ranger Surveyor Chinese Chang'e European Terrae Novae Indian Chandrayaan Japanese Japanese Lunar Exploration Program South Korean Korean Lunar Exploration Program Russian Luna-Glob Soviet Crewed Luna Lunokhod Zond
Activemissions	Orbiters ARTEMIS CAPSTONE Chandrayaan-2 Chang'e 5-T1 Danuri Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Queqiao 1 and 2 Tiandu-1 2 ICUBE-Q Landers Chang'e 4 Rovers Yutu-2
Pastmissions	Crewed landings Apollo 11 12 14 15 16 17 (List of Apollo astronauts) Orbiters Apollo 8 10 Artemis I Chang'e 1 2 5 Chandrayaan-1 3 Clementine Explorer 35 49 GRAIL Hiten LADEE Longjiang-2 Luna 10 11 12 14 19 22 Lunar Orbiter 1 2 3 4 5 Lunar Prospector PFS-1 PFS-2 SMART-1 SELENE (Kaguya, Okina, Ouna) Lunar Trailblazer Impactors LCROSS Luna 2 Moon Impact Probe Ranger 4 6 7 8 9 Landers Apollo Lunar Module ×6 Blue Ghost M1 Chandrayaan-3 Chang'e 3 Chang'e 5 6 Luna 9 13 16 17 20 21 23 24 SLIM Surveyor 1 3 5 6 7 Rovers Lunar Roving Vehicle Apollo 15 16 17 Lunokhod 1 2 Yutu Pragyan 2 3 LEV-1 LEV-2 (Sora-Q) Jinchan Yaoki MAPP Micro-Nova AstroAnt Sample return Apollo 11 12 14 15 16 17 Luna 16 20 24 Chang'e 5 6 Failed landings Beresheet Emirates Lunar Mission Hakuto-R M1 M2 IM-1 2 Luna 5 7 8 15 18 25 OMOTENASHI Surveyor 2 4 Vikram Peregrine Flybys 4M Apollo 13 Chang'e 5-T1 Geotail Galileo ICE Longjiang-1 Luna 1 3 4 6 LunaH-Map Lunar Flashlight Lunar IceCube LunIR Mariner 10 NEA Scout Nozomi Pioneer 4 Ranger 5 STEREO TESS WMAP Wind Zond 3 5 6 7 8 PAS-22 ArgoMoon
Plannedmissions	Artemis II (2026) III (2027) IV (2028) V (2030) Lunar Gateway CLPS Blue Moon Pathfinder 1 (2026) Griffin M1 (2026) IM-3 (2026) Blue Ghost M2 (2026) Blue Moon Pathfinder 2 (2027) M3 (2028) IM-4 (TBD) Luna-Glob 26 (2027) 27 (2028) 28 (2030) 29 (2030s) 30 (2030s) 31 (2030s) CLEP Chang'e 7 (2026) 8 (2028) Chandrayaan 4 (2027) 5 (LUPEX) (2028) KLEP Korean lunar lander (2032) ESA Lunar Pathfinder (2026) LUMIO (2027) Moonlight Programme (2028) VMMO (2028) MAGPIE (2028) Máni (2029) Argonaut M1 (2031) Others ispace M3 (2026) DESTINY+ (2028) Cislunar Explorers (2020s) CU-E3 (2020s) MoonRanger (2020s) International Lunar Research Station (2030s)
Proposedmissions	Robotic ALINA Artemis-7 Beresheet 2 Blue Moon BOLAS Garatéa-L ISOCHRON LunaNet Lunar Crater Radio Telescope McCandless Moon Diver Moonraker Crewed DSE-Alpha Boeing Lunar Lander Lockheed Martin Lunar Lander
Cancelled /concepts	Altair Baden-Württemberg 1 #dearMoon project European Lunar Explorer First Lunar Outpost International Lunar Network LEO LK Lunar-A Lunar Lander Lunar Mission One Lunar Observer Lunokhod 3 MoonLITE MoonRise OrbitBeyond Project Harvest Moon Prospector Resource Prospector SELENE-2 Ukrselena XL-1 VIPER
Related	Colonization of the Moon "We choose to go to the Moon" "One small step" Google Lunar X Prize List of lunar probes List of missions to the Moon List of artificial objects on the Moon List of species that have landed on the Moon Lunar resources Apollo 17 Moon mice Moon landing conspiracy theories Third-party evidence for Apollo Moon landings Apollo 11 anniversaries List of crewed lunar landers
Missions are ordered by launch date. Crewed missions are in italics.

v t e Apollo program
List of missions canceled missions List of Apollo astronauts
Launch complexes	Launch Complex 34 Launch Complex 37 Launch Complex 39 A B
Ground facilities	Mission Control Center Cape Kennedy Air Force Station Crawler-transporter Kennedy Space Center Manned Space Flight Network
Launch vehicles	Little Joe II Saturn Saturn I Saturn IB Saturn V
Spacecraft and rover	Apollo spacecraft Command and Service Module Lunar Module Lunar Roving Vehicle
Flights	Uncrewed AS-101 AS-102 AS-201 AS-202 Apollo 4 Apollo 5 Apollo 6† Crewed Apollo 1† Apollo 7 Apollo 8 Apollo 9 Apollo 10 Apollo 11 Apollo 12 Apollo 13† Apollo 14 Apollo 15 Apollo 16 Apollo 17 Saturndevelopment Saturn-Apollo 1 SA-2 SA-3 SA-4 SA-5 AS-203 Apollo 4 Apollo 6† Abort tests QTV Pad Abort Test-1 A-001 A-002 A-003 Pad Abort Test-2 A-004 Pegasus flights AS-103 AS-104 AS-105
Apollo 8 specific	Earthrise Genesis reading
Apollo 11 specific	Command Module Columbia Lunar Module Eagle Tranquility Base "One small step" Double crater Little West crater Goodwill messages Lunar sample displays Missing tapes Anniversaries 50th Anniversary commemorative coins In popular culture
Apollo 12 specific	Statio Cognitum Surveyor 3 Surveyor crater Bench Crater meteorite J002E3 Moon Museum Reports of Streptococcus mitis on the Moon
Apollo 13 specific	"Houston, we've had a problem"
Apollo 14 specific	Modular Equipment Transporter Fra Mauro formation Big Bertha Moon tree
Apollo 15 specific	Journey Lunar operations Solo operations Return to Earth Hadley–Apennine Fallen Astronaut Genesis Rock Great Scott Hadley Rille meteorite Seatbelt basalt Postal covers incident
Apollo 16 specific	Big Muley
Apollo 17 specific	The Blue Marble Taurus–Littrow Tracy's Rock Nansen-Apollo crater Shorty crater Lunar sample display Lunar basalt 70017 Troctolite 76535 Apollo Lunar Sounder Experiment Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey
Post-Apollocapsule use	Skylab 2 3 4 Apollo–Soyuz
Related	"We choose to go to the Moon" Lunar orbit rendezvous Stolen and missing Moon rocks Third-party evidence for Apollo Moon landings
Symbol † indicates failure or partial failure

v t e NASA
Policy and history	History(creation) NACA (1915) National Aeronautics and Space Act (1958) Space Task Group (1958) Paine (1986) Rogers (1986) Ride (1987) Space Exploration Initiative (1989) Augustine (1990) U.S. National Space Policy (1996) CFUSAI (2002) CAIB (2003) Vision for Space Exploration (2004) Aldridge (2004) Augustine (2009) General Space Race Administrator and Deputy Administrator Chief Scientist Astronaut Corps Ranks and positions Chief Budget NASA research spinoff technologies NASA+ NASA TV NASA Social Launch Services Program Mercury Control Center Manned Space Flight Network Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building Launch Complex 39 Launch Complex 48 Launch Control Center Operations and Checkout Building Johnson Space Center Mission Control Lunar Sample Laboratory Science Mission Directorate
Human spaceflightprograms	Past X-15 (suborbital) Mercury Gemini Apollo Skylab Apollo–Soyuz (with the Soviet space program) Space Shuttle Shuttle–Mir (with Roscosmos) Constellation Current International Space Station Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Commercial Crew Orion Artemis Lunar Gateway
Robotic programs	Past Hitchhiker Mariner Mariner Mark II MESUR Mars Surveyor '98 New Millennium Lunar Orbiter Pioneer Planetary Observer Ranger Surveyor Viking Project Prometheus Mars Exploration Mars Exploration Rover Current Living With a Star Lunar Precursor Robotic Program Earth Observing System Great Observatories program Explorers Voyager Discovery New Frontiers Solar Terrestrial Probes Commercial Lunar Payload Services SIMPLEx
Individual featured missions(human and robotic)	Past Apollo 11 COBE Mercury 3 Mercury-Atlas 6 Magellan Pioneer 10 Pioneer 11 Galileo timeline GALEX GRAIL WMAP Space Shuttle Spitzer Space Telescope Sojourner rover Spirit rover LADEE MESSENGER Aquarius Cassini Dawn Kepler space telescope Opportunity rover timeline observed RHESSI InSight Ingenuity helicopter flights Currentlyoperating Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter 2001 Mars Odyssey New Horizons International Space Station Hubble Space Telescope Chandra X-ray Observatory Swift THEMIS Mars Exploration Rover Curiosity rover timeline GOES 14 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter GOES 15 SDO Juno Mars Science Laboratory timeline NuSTAR Voyager 1 Voyager 2 MAVEN MMS OSIRIS-APEX TESS Mars 2020 Perseverance rover timeline James Webb Space Telescope timeline PACE Europa Clipper NISAR Future Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope DAVINCI VERITAS
Communicationsand navigation	Near Earth Network Space Network Deep Space Network (Goldstone Madrid Canberra Space Flight Operations Facility) Deep Space Atomic Clock
NASA lists	Astronauts by name by year Gemini astronauts Apollo astronauts Space Shuttle crews NASA aircraft NASA missions uncrewed missions Apollo missions Space Shuttle missions United States rockets NASA cancellations NASA cameras on spacecraft
NASA imagesand artwork	Earthrise The Blue Marble Family Portrait Pale Blue Dot Pillars of Creation Mystic Mountain Solar System Family Portrait The Day the Earth Smiled Fallen Astronaut Deep fields Lunar plaques Pioneer plaques Voyager Golden Record Apollo 11 goodwill messages NASA insignia Gemini and Apollo medallions Mission patches Astronomy Picture of the Day Hubble Space Telescope anniversary images
Related	"We choose to go to the Moon" "One small step" Apollo 8 Genesis reading Apollo 15 postal covers incident Apollo Lunar Module Space Mirror Memorial The Astronaut Monument Lunar sample displays Moon rocks stolen or missing U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Space program on U.S. stamps Apollo 17 Moon mice Moon tree Other primates in space NASA Exoplanet Archive NASA International Space Apps Challenge Astronauts Day National Astronaut Day Nikon NASA F4
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