Earthrise (12 page)

Our Moon journey was made possible via the combined spacecraft of the cone-shaped Command Module powered by the cylindrical Service Module.
Courtesy NASA

Space food was freeze-dried and vacuum-packed to make it as compact as possible. Here is a cheese sandwich used for the Apollo Moon missions.
Courtesy NASA

Our cone-shaped Kitty Hawk Command Module was our primary spacecraft while flying to the Moon and back to Earth. It was a tight fit for three grown men.
Courtesy Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

This Apollo 16 photo shows something humans never see while on Earth—the deso late far side of the Moon. Alan and I orbited to the far side of the Moon when our abor signal malfunctioned.
Courtesy NASA

The Apollo 14 Antares Lunar Module, our home away from home, where Alan and I slept, ate, and worked while on the Moon.
Courtesy NASA

Seeing Earth from the Moon was a beautiful sight to behold and a life-changing event for me. This fantastic photo of earthrise was taken in July 1969 during the Apollo 8 Mission.
Courtesy NASA

Once Alan and I set foot on the lunar surface on February 5, 1971, we took one another’s photo while standing by the American flag.
Courtesy NASA

On the Moon there is one-sixth the gravitational pull of Earth. As I hike to Cone Crater, I carefully study my checklist, which is a minute-by-minute account of my Moon work.
Courtesy NASA

Immediately after our Command Module hit the choppy South Pacific waters on February 9, 1971, navy frogmen were right there to retrieve us. Alan, Stu, and I sit in the orange life raft and wear protective masks.
Courtesy NASA

After returning to Earth, Alan, Stu, and I peer out the window of the Mobile Quarantine Facility.
Courtesy NASA

In the Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, Alan and I study and catalog some of the many Moon rocks we brought back home.
Courtesy NASA