The Apollo program included a large number of uncrewed test missions and 11 crewed missions. The 11 crewed missions include two Earth orbiting missions, two lunar orbiting missions, a lunar swingby and six Moon landing missions.
The Apollo program was designed to land humans on the Moon and bring them safely back to Earth. Six of the missions -- Apollos 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 -- achieved this goal. Lunar surface experiments included soil mechanics, meteoroids, seismic, heat flow, lunar ranging, magnetic fields and solar wind experiments.
Apollos 7, which tested the Command Module, and 9, which tested both the Command Module and Lunar Module, were Earth orbiting missions. Apollos 8 and 10 tested various components while orbiting the Moon, and returned photography of the lunar surface. Apollo 13 did not land on the lunar surface due to a malfunction, but during the brief orbit around the Moon, the crew was able to collect photographs.
After the last lunar landing, total funding for the Apollo program was about $19,408,134,000. The budget allocation was 34 percent of the NASA budget.
When will we return? The recent decisions by President Obama can only extend the time period possibly beyond my own life expectancy. I was lucky enough to witness the historic first phase of human exploration of space. Do not let complete generations miss out on such a wonderous time.
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