12 astronauts have walked on the Moon
In the history of spaceflight, 12 people have stepped onto the lunar surface. All were NASA astronauts who flew as part of the Apollo program between 1969 and 1972, landing in the Moon’s northern hemisphere at six sites in the lunar day hemisphere. The first were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11; the last were Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt on Apollo 17. Total cumulative lunar surface EVA time is approximately 185 hours, and samples returned from the surface have enabled ongoing scientific study. The following breakdowns and tables summarize who walked on the Moon, when, where, and for how long.
Key mission summary table
The table below lists each mission, crew, landing date, number of moonwalks, and total EVA time reported by NASA for flights that landed on the surface. Missions that orbited without landing are not included.
| Apollo mission | Lunar landing date | Lunar landing site | Moonwalks (EVAs) | Combined EVA duration (hours:min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo 11 | 20 July 1969 | Sea of Tranquility | 2 | 2:31 |
| Apollo 12 | 19 Nov 1969 | Ocean of Storms | 2 | 7:45 |
| Apollo 14 | 5 Feb 1971 | Fra Mauro | 2 | 9:21 |
| Apollo 15 | 30 July 1971 | Hadley–Apennine | 3 | 18:34 |
| Apollo 16 | 21 Apr 1972 | Descartes | 3 | 20:14 |
| Apollo 17 | 11 Dec 1972 | Taurus–Littrow | 3 | 22:04 |
Where these walks happened
All Apollo landings occurred in the near-side northern hemisphere, favoring communication with Earth and lower terrain elevations for safer descent. The sites span a range of geological units: the mare basalt plains of Sea of Tranquility and Ocean of Storms; the older highland crust at Fra Mauro; the volcanic Hadley–Apennine; the ancient highlands of Descartes; and the young, collapsed volcanic deposits of Taurus–Littrow. Selection was driven by safety, science, and orbital geometry; no landing occurred at permanently shadowed polar regions, which were not reachable with Apollo-era targeting and life support.
Surface stay and timelines
Transit times from Earth to the surface varied from about three days to just over four days depending on trajectory. Once on the surface, surface stay ranged from approximately 1 to 3 Earth days. Apollo 17 set the longest surface duration at about 3 days, enabling three excursions that combined for more than 22 hours of EVA. Each mission profile was tailored to traverse distance, deploy experiments, and collect samples, with astronauts typically working in pairs except during contingency scenarios.
Later programs and current status
Artemis and future plans
NASA’s Artemis program aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon in the late 2020s, building on the Apollo legacy with new landers, spacesuits, and long-duration surface operations. Unlike Apollo, Artemis envisions sustained presence, including the Lunar Gateway station and surface habitats. No one has walked on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972; all currently active astronauts remain in low-Earth orbit or training status as of the latest agency announcements.
Beyond Apollo
Soviet Luna robotic missions returned imagery and samples but did not land cosmonauts on the surface. China’s Chang’e program has landed robotic spacecraft and deployed rovers, with a long-term goal of human landings. For now, the only human footsteps on another body remain those 12 Apollo astronauts, whose traverses, experiments, and samples continue to inform lunar science.
Comparison of human lunar landings
Only human missions that touched down and sent astronauts outside their spacecraft count toward the list below. Orbital flights such as Apollo 8, 10, 13, and others are excluded from the count of walkers.
- 12 astronauts across 6 missions walked on the Moon.
- Each landing site was selected for geological diversity and operational safety within the technology limits of the 1960s and early 1970s.
- Total lunar surface EVA time: approximately 185 hours.
- No human has walked on the Moon since 1972; current programs aim to return in the coming years.
Status and provenance note
Counts in this explainer reflect NASA’s publicly documented Apollo mission reports and the astronaut biographical registry. Independent sources such as mission transcripts, timelines, and peer-reviewed summaries align on the figure of 12 moonwalkers. No geopolitical or commercial claims are made regarding ownership or exclusive rights to lunar surface locations.
Tags: spaceflight history, human space exploration, Moon, NASA Apollo, surface operations