Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on an alien world on July 20, 1969. Together with astronauts Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins, the three men won the Cold War space race for America. Just five months later, NASA followed the success of Apollo 11 with the Apollo 12 lunar landing.
On November 19, 1969, astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean became the second-ever people to walk on the Moon.
There are, however, many ways in which Apollo 12 was a more successful mission.
Apollo 12’s crew spent nearly three times as long on the surface of the Moon and carried back home more samples of lunar rock.
But Mission Commander Conrad has another claim to fame, having been the first man to trip up on the Moon.
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Astronomer Brendan Owens from the Royal Observatory Greenwich in London told Express.co.uk the astronaut had a much more lighthearted experience overall.
The Apollo expert said: “He also had the spectacular announcement of saying ‘Whoopee’ when he stepped down the ladder.
“And you can’t really be too elegant in those Extravehicular Activity (EVA) suits, in their astronaut suits, they’re quite large.
“They’re a little bit clumsy and they tried to practice their best when on Earth but there’s nothing quite like being on the surface of the Moon.”
The whole world remembers Neil Armstrong’s powerful first words on the Moon: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Commander Conrad, however, took a different approach to his first lunar message, opting for a message much lighter in tone.
You can’t really be too elegant in those Extravehicular Activity (EVA) suits
Brendan Owens, Royal Observatory Greenwich
He famously said: “Whoopee! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that’s a long one for me.”
Apollo 12’s astronauts are also fondly remembered for singing and dancing on the Moon.
The astronauts took advantage of the Moon’s low gravity by hopping around on its pockmarked surface.
Afterall, Commander Conrad’s famous motto was: “If you can’t be good, be colourful.”
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Apollo 12’s spacecraft was twice struck by lighting seconds after launch, so perhaps the mission’s crew needed a bit of levity.
Ultimately, Mr Owens said the astronauts were regular men who felt incredibly privileged to have been awarded the opportunity.
He said: “I know Al Bean felt when I was talking to him years ago when he was alive, that he felt just extremely lucky he was chosen to go to the Moon.
“He felt he was just an ordinary guy and just felt extraordinarily lucky that he was able to get there.
“He was obviously underselling himself, you know, he went through a large amount of training to get where he went to but still very humble.”
For a chance to see some of the incredible artefacts from the Apollo 12 mission, you can now visit the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
On display are samples of lunar rock collected by Apollo 12 as well as the Omega Speedmaster watches worn by the astronauts.
The Moon exhibition at the National Maritime Museum is on until January 5, 2020.
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