In the 1960s, NASA launched the Apollo programme to achieve what had never been done before — landing humans on the Moon
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In 1967, a cabin fire during a ground test killed three astronauts, forcing NASA to redesign spacecraft safety from scratch
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Early missions tested systems step by step: – Apollo 7 proved crewed flight – Apollo 8 took humans around the Moon for the first time
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In July 1969, Apollo 11 landed the first humans on the Moon, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the lunar surface
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Apollo 12 and Apollo 14 showed Moon landings could be repeated safely, building confidence in lunar travel
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Apollo 13 suffered an onboard explosion in 1970. The Moon landing was aborted, but the crew survived in a dramatic rescue
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Apollo 15, 16 and 17 focused on scientific exploration, using lunar rovers and spending longer hours on the Moon
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Between 1969 and 1972, Apollo missions landed humans on the Moon six times, each expanding knowledge and capability
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Every Apollo mission involved high risk, experimental technology and unknown dangers, but each success shaped future spaceflight
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From fire and failure to footprints on the Moon, Apollo rewrote what humans believed was possible
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