The Day I Visited The Moon ... Quiz

Answer: Alan Shepard

Alan Shepard visited the Moon on February 5, 1971 as the commander of Apollo 14. Alan Shepard was the first American in space when he launched aboard Freedom 7 of the Mercury program on May 5, 1961. He had been grounded with an ear ailment which had cleared in time for Apollo 14. He single-handedly hit two golf balls while he was on the Moon.

Answer: Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan

Commander Tom Stafford and Lunar Module Pilot Gene Cernan traveled to the Moon on Apollo 10. Apollo 10 was considered a test run for the moon landing to follow on Apollo 11. The command module was named Charlie Brown and the lunar module was named Snoopy, named after characters from the "Peanuts" comic strip. On May 22, 1969, Snoopy flew down within ten miles of the lunar surface before returning to the command module.

Answer: Harrison Schmitt

Harrison Schmitt was the only scientist to fly to the Moon during the Apollo program. Harrison Schmitt had a Ph.D. in geology. Originally scheduled for a later mission, he was added to the crew of Apollo 17 after the subsequent missions were cancelled. He replaced Joe Engle as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 17.

Answer: Michael Collins

Michael Collins was the Command Module Pilot aboard Apollo 11. While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took the lunar module (Eagle) down to the Moon's surface, Collins remained aboard the command module (Columbia).

Answer: Jim Lovell

Jim Lovell flew to the Moon twice on Apollo 8 and Apollo 13. On Apollo 8, Lovell and his shipmates orbited the Moon for the first time. Lovell was scheduled to land on the Moon during Apollo 13, but an oxygen tank exploded crippling the command module. Lovell and the rest of the crew aborted the landing and returned to Earth using the lunar module as a lifeboat.

Answer: David Scott and James Irwin

David Scott and James Irwin traveled to the Moon during Apollo 15. They landed on the Moon on July 30, 1971. This was the first Moon mission to feature the Lunar Rover. The Lunar Rover could travel at a speed of 8 mph (13 km/h).

Answer: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to land on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Computer and fuel issues made the landing more difficult than the astronauts had anticipated. Upon landing Charlie Duke, who was at CAPCOM (capsule communicator) in mission control, expressed relief after the lunar module was confirmed to have touched down on the Moon.

Answer: Ken Mattingly

Ken Mattingly was the Command Module Pilot during Apollo 16. The command module for Apollo 16 was given the name of Casper (like the friendly ghost of the same name) and the lunar module was named Orion. Mattingly had been bumped from Apollo 13 due to a threat of him contracting measles.

Answer: Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders

Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders served on Apollo 8. Apollo 8 was the first mission to journey to the moon, launching on December 21, 1968. On Christmas Eve, 1968, while orbiting the Moon, the crew read aloud the first ten verses of Genesis from the Bible.

Answer: Gene Cernan, Ron Evans and Harrison Schmitt

This question comes from a quote from Apollo 17 Commander Gene Cernan upon leaving the Moon. Gene Cernan, Ron Evans and Harrison Schmitt were the last astronauts to journey to the Moon during the Apollo program. There had been additional missions scheduled, but they were cancelled due to budget cuts. Gene Cernan was the last Apollo astronaut to have visited the Moon, departing on December 14, 1972.