Apollo 12 was the second manned mission to the moon, launched by NASA in November 1969, just over a year after the successful Apollo 11 mission. The mission was crewed by astronauts Charles “Pete” Conrad, Richard F. Gordon Jr., and Alan L. Bean.
One of the main objectives of the Apollo 12 mission was to land on the moon’s surface and conduct scientific experiments. The astronauts successfully landed their lunar module, the “Intrepid,” in the Ocean of Storms region of the moon, and spent over 31 hours on the lunar surface, setting up scientific instruments and collecting moon rocks and soil samples.
In addition to conducting scientific experiments, the astronauts also conducted several “extra-vehicular activities” (EVAs), or moonwalks, during which they explored the lunar surface and conducted repair work on their spacecraft.
The mission was a major success and helped to advance our understanding of the moon and its environment. The astronauts returned to Earth on November 24, 1969, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.