Recent aerial images from India’s Chandrayaan 2 orbiter reveal the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 lunar landing sites more than 50 years after the historic missions.
Photos captured by the Indian Space Research Organization’s moon orbiter, Chandrayaan 2, provide a stunning view of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 landing sites over half a century after these groundbreaking missions. The images, taken in April 2021, were recently shared on the Curiosity page on X, a platform dedicated to space exploration.
In a post accompanying the images, Curiosity stated, “Image of Apollo 11 and 12 taken by India’s Moon orbiter. Disapproving Moon landing deniers,” highlighting the significance of the photos in affirming the historic lunar landings.
Apollo 11, which landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, marked a monumental achievement in human history, with astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin becoming the first men to walk on the lunar surface. Their colleague, astronaut Michael Collins, remained in lunar orbit during their historic excursion.
The lunar module, known as Eagle, was left in lunar orbit after it successfully rendezvoused with Collins’ command module the following day. Eagle eventually returned to the moon’s surface, where it remains today.
Apollo 12 followed as NASA’s second crewed mission to land on the moon, occurring on November 19, 1969. Astronauts Charles “Pete” Conrad and Alan Bean became the third and fourth men to walk on the moon during this mission.
The Apollo program continued until December 1972, concluding with astronaut Eugene Cernan, who became the last person to walk on the moon. The legacy of these missions continues to inspire space exploration efforts today.
The Chandrayaan-2 mission, which launched on July 22, 2019, coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. It captured the images of the 1969 lunar landers two years later, furthering our understanding of the moon’s surface.
In addition to Chandrayaan 2, India launched Chandrayaan 3 last year, achieving a historic milestone as the first mission to successfully land near the moon’s south pole. This accomplishment underscores India’s growing capabilities in space exploration.
As we continue to explore the cosmos, the images from Chandrayaan 2 serve as a reminder of humanity’s achievements in space and the enduring legacy of the Apollo missions.
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