Pioneers of the Sky

Apollo 12 Crew

The second manned mission to the moon was Apollo 12 which landed on the lunar surface in November 1969. The mission included Commander Charles “Pete” Conrad (left), Command Module Pilot Richard F. Gordon, Jr. (middle) and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean (right), all pictured in front of the lunar module. The primary mission was for the crew to conduct an extensive series of experiments and deploy the nuclear-powered Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package that operated on the moon until 1977. The mission was largely routine except that the aircraft was twice struck by lightning, causing instrument troubles.