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The Apollo 7 crew poses for a pre-flight picture. From left to right are Command Module Pilot Donn F. Eisele, Commander Walter M. Schirra, Jr. and Lunar Module Pilot Walter R. Cunningham National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 7, crewed by Walter Schirra, Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham, clears the gantry. Apollo 7 was the first manned test of the new Apollo Command and Service Module, and the crew spent 10 days and 20 hours in space. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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A C-135 aircraft, flying at more than 35,000 feet, captured this image of the Apollo 7 spacecraft as it was lifting off. Because of the angle from which the photograph was taken, the rocket appears to be launching from near the Vehicle Assembly Building, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Lunar Module Pilot Walter Cunningham looks out into space during the Apollo 7 mission. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Florida Peninsula, as viewed from on board the Apollo 7 spacecraft National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Cloud formations are seen on Earth in this photo taken by the Apollo 7 crew. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The crew of Apollo 8 poses as their rocket rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida. The rocket, perched on top of a crawler, would move from the building out to the launch pad at an impressive pace of one mile per hour. From left to right, t National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 8 spacecraft and rocket are photographed on the pad at twilight. Apollo 8 was launched on December 21, 1968, and was the first mission to send men to (but not land on) the moon. The three-man crew orbited the moon and then returned safely to Ea National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows a distant view of the Apollo 8 liftoff on December 21, 1968. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This famous photo, known as "Earthrise," was taken by the crew of Apollo 8 as they orbited the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The lunar far side is the side of the moon that faces away from the Earth. This side of the moon was first photographed by the Russians using a space probe named Luna 3, and the Apollo 8 astronauts became the first humans to see it. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows the crew of Apollo 9. From left to right are Commander James A. McDivitt, Command Module Pilot David R. Scott and Lunar Module Pilot Russell L. Schweickart. The Apollo 9 crew was the first to test the LM — the Lunar Module, or the moon la National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Astronauts enjoyed an abnormal number of sunrises while in orbit around the Earth, and this photograph taken by the Apollo 9 astronauts captured one of those sunrises National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 9's Dave Scott is shown inside the spacecraft, shielding his eyes from the light of the sun. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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During the Apollo 9 mission, CMP Dave Scott and LMP Rusty Schweickart performed an EVA, or extravehicular activity (spacewalk, etc.). This photo shows Dave Scott standing in the spacecraft's hatch during the EVA. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 10 crew takes a none-too-serious crew photo. From left to right are Lunar Module Pilot Eugene Cernan, Commander Thomas P. Stafford and Command Module Pilot John Young. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 10 spacecraft rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida and toward its launchpad. The Apollo 10 spacecraft consisted of two parts — a command module named "Charlie Brown," and a lunar lander named "Snoopy." National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 10 Command Module Pilot John Young takes a look at the flight's namesake, Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown is wearing a model of the command module on his head. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 10 Commander Thomas P. Stafford pats the nose of Snoopy, the mission mascot, as the crew walks out to the van that would transfer them to their spacecraft. The mission launched on May 18, 1969. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows the crater Maskelyne, named for Nevil Maskelyne, who was a British Astronomer Royal. Part of the lunar module are also visible. The crater is located in the Sea of Tranquility, where the Apollo 11 crew would land and make history. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 10 mission was to act as a dress rehearsal for a moon landing, and they did everything a moon landing crew would do except for land. This photo, taken on that mission, shows the "eastern" side of the moon as viewed from orbit. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The most famous of the Apollo astronauts — Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin — pose for their official crew portrait. They crewed Apollo 11, which made history when their lunar module National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 11 space vehicle is rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida and down the 3.5 mile crawlerway to where the rocket would be launched from. The VAB is seen to the left, and the launch complex is seen in the far right of the photo. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Workers on top of the Mobile Service Structure look at the Apollo 11 spacecraft as the tower is moved away during a countdown demonstration National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 11 liftoff, as viewed from the launch tower. The three men on the crew are seated in the white tip of the rocket, between the silver Service Module (below) and the white escape tower (on top) National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 11 climbs toward orbit, and then the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows the Apollo 11 crew's view from Earth orbit, prior to their leaving that orbit and beginning their 238,000-mile journey to the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo of the Earth was taken by the Apollo 11 crew. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Lunar module pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin is photographed inside the lunar module, which he and Neil Armstrong would use to land on the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Earth rises over the lunar horizon in this photo taken by the Apollo 11 crew. In his biography, "Carrying the Fire," Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins describes it thus: "I am wrenched back to reality by the sudden appearance of the earth, a truly d National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows the lunar landing vehicle, dubbed "Eagle," rotating upside down, as seen from the command module "Columbia." Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were in the Eagle, while Michael Collins stayed in Columbia. The vehicle is upside down so Collins National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows the view of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as they descended toward their landing on the moon. It shows the Daedalus crater on the far side of the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows the view that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had from the lunar module during the approach to their moon landing site. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong radioed back to Earth with the historic words, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." This is the view he and Buzz Aldrin saw just after landing. The shadow is that of the lunar module on the moon's surfac National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo was the first taken by Neil Armstrong after exiting the lunar module and stepping onto the moon's surface. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This shot, taken by TV cameras on the lunar module, shows Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin raising the American flag on the lunar surface. It was the first of six American flags to eventually be placed on the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This composite photo, put together by Ed Hengeveld, shows the Eagle on the moon's surface with the sun shining overhead. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Neil Armstrong snapped a picture of Buzz Aldrin saluting the flag. This photo, taken immediately after the shot of Aldrin saluting, shows Aldrin looking back at Armstrong to make sure he got the shot. Although Aldrin's gold sunshield is down, the angle of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Buzz Aldrin snapped this photo of his bootprint in the lunar surface. Although it's a striking photo, its real purpose was to help scientists on the ground understand the makeup of the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The view of Earth, as the Apollo 11 astronauts saw it from the moon. The Earth was so small from the moon that — as astronaut Jim Lovell has often said — the astronauts could cover it with their thumb. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 11 flag and the lunar module cast long shadows on the ground. Because the moon has no atmosphere, the sun's rays are not broken up, which makes for extreme temperature differences between sun and shade and blots out any ability to see stars in National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Few pictures exist of Neil Armstrong on the moon, largely due to the fact that he was the one carrying the camera for most of the time. However it is possible to see Armstrong reflected in Buzz Aldrin's visor in this photo. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The lunar module approaches the command module for docking, prior to the Apollo 11 crew's return to Earth. Their destination rises from behind the moon in the background. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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A close-up view of the crescent Earth is photographed during the Apollo 11 crew's return trip, after their making history by landing on the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows a closeup view of Earth and its terminator, which is the line that separates the sunlit areas of the planet from the areas that are in the dark of nighttime. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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After returning to Earth, the Apollo 11 crew was put in quarantine for three weeks to ensure they weren't carrying any lunar germs. This photo, taken by Don Blair, shows Neil Armstrong playing the ukulele while in quarantine. Jody Russell/NASA Johnson
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The Apollo 12 crew checks out their spacecraft at the North American Rockwell Space Division. From left to right are Commander Pete Conrad, Command Module Pilot Dick Gordon, and Lunar Module Pilot Al Bean. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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A technician puts a sandwich in Apollo 12 Commander Pete Conrad's pocket prior to launch. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Shortly after the Apollo 12 spacecraft lifted off on November 14, 1969, lighting struck the rising vehicle and followed its smoke trail all the way to the ground, where it also struck the launch tower. The lightning was captured by cameras on the launch p National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows three craters on the moon's surface. The crater on the far right is Reinhold, the smaller crater next to it is Reinhold A, and the larger crater near the edge of the moon is Copernicus. Copernicus can be seen from Earth with binoculars. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo, taken from the command module "Yankee Clipper," shows the lunar module "Intrepid" flying over the moon. The craters below are Ptolemaeus, Herschel and LaLande C. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo, taken by Lunar Module Pilot Al Bean, shows Commander Pete Conrad exiting the lunar module. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo, taken by Apollo 12 Commander Pete Conrad, shows Lunar Module Pilot Al Bean on the surface of the moon. Bean is holding a vacuum-sealed Special Environmental Sample Container, and Conrad has just poured lunar soil inside of it. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 12 crew was the first to see this stunning sight during their return home — the view of the Earth eclipsing the sun. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 12 astronauts, from left to right — Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon, and Al Bean — are photographed from outside their quarantine facility. Dick Gordon is wearing his uniform backward and carrying a sign saying "Luney Wog" as part of his Crossing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This Apollo 13 crew portrait was one of two taken for the crew — the first featured the original crew of Commander Jim Lovell, Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise. Mattingly was replaced by Jack Swigert after Mattingly was National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft is bathed in floodlights during the early morning hours of its rollout to the launchpad. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows the Apollo 13 ship and rocket. The photo was taken from the Mobile Service Structure during a Countdown Demonstration Test National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 13's mission to land on the moon was aborted after an explosion in one of the ship's oxygen tanks crippled the spacecraft. The three-man crew was forced to use their lunar lander as a lifeboat as they flew around the moon without landing and return National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo, taken during the Apollo 13 flight, shows a closeup view of the moon. The Apollo 13 crew still holds the record for being the humans to fly the farthest out into space. The crew returned to Earth by using the moon's gravity to slingshot them ar National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo of the Earth, taken by the Apollo 13 crew, shows the planet bathed in light on one side, and hidden in the shadows of night on the other. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 14 crew poses in front of a mockup lunar module. Commander Alan Shepard — America's first man in space — is at the bottom of the ladder, Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa is in the middle, and Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell is at the top. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 14 spacecraft climbs upward during liftoff National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo, taken by an observation aircraft, shows a dramatic view of Apollo 14 rising above the clouds National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This composite image shows the Apollo 14 lunar module "Antares" on the moon. Antares is a red supergiant star visible in the constellation Scorpius. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows the Apollo 14 lunar module and the American flag on the surface of the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 15 crew poses with their Corvettes and a lunar rover vehicle. The crew was the first of three to use a lunar rover vehicle on the moon. From left to right are Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin, Command Module Pilot Alfred Worden and Commander Dave National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo, taken from the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building — the largest single-story building in the world — shows the rollout of the Apollo 15 spacecraft. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The launch of Apollo 15 is shown from a distance, its fire reflecting on the waters of Florida. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 15 clears the gantry on its way to the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Earthrise is captured from on board Apollo 15. While the moon often appears as a crescent to people on Earth, the roles are reversed in this photograph. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The far side of the moon — the side facing away from Earth — has few of the dark, smooth areas that the side facing the Earth has. These areas are known as "seas" or "mare." This photo shows the Sea of Ingenuity, one of the few mare on the far side of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The lunar module, "Falcon," is perched on an angle on the moon. One of its footpads landed in a small crater when Commander Dave Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin came to a rest on the moon's surface. The tracks of the lunar rover vehicle can be se National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 15 landed in the Hadley-Apennine region of the moon, which featured hills, mountains and rills. This photo shows Mt. Hadley, which stands about 4,765 feet tall. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 15 Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin salutes the U.S. flag alongside the lunar rover vehicle and the lunar module "Falcon." National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This Apollo 15 photo shows an astronaut working at the mission's lunar rover, with a sample stick resting on a rock near the front of the picture. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The plaque on the lunar rover vehicle states, "Man's first wheels on the moon, delivered by Falcon, July 30, 1971" National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This Apollo 15 photo shows the rugged surface of the far side of the moon. The far side of the moon doesn't have as many smooth "seas" as the near side due to the affect of heat from Earth as the newborn moon was cooling, according to Space.com. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The craters Hilbert (far left) and Kondratyuk (far right) are pictured. This photo shows the rugged surface of the far side of the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Earth, as seen by the Apollo 15 crew, rises over the surface of the moon National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Mare Australe (also known as the "Southern Sea") overlaps on the near and far sides of the moon, and can be seen in this Apollo 15 photo. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows the trans-Earth view of the moon. The trans-Earth injection burn would take a spacecraft and start it on its journey from the moon to the Earth. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 16 crew gathers around a moon globe for a casual group portrait. From left to right: Commander John Young, Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly, and Lunar Module Pilot Charlie Duke. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 16 spacecraft lifts off in Florida. The mission to the moon launched from the Kennedy Space Center on April 16, 1972. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 16 crew captured this view of Earth from orbit prior to beginning their journey to the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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"Casper," the Apollo 16 command service module, is seen on the horizon of the moon, along with an earthrise. The photo was taken from the lunar module "Orion," flown by Commander John Young and Lunar Module Pilot Charlie Duke. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 16 lunar module "Orion" is seen on the surface of the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 16 Commander John Young jumps and salutes the flag at the same time National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Lunar Module Pilot Charlie Duke works at the edge of a crater while the lunar module sits in the background. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 16 Commander John Young giving the lunar rover vehicle a speed workout in what came to be known as the "Grand Prix" on the moon. The top speed of the vehicle was reportedly between 8 and 9 miles per hour. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Astronaut Charlie Duke left a portrait of his family on the surface of the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 16 lunar module's ascent stage returns to the command module. The bottom half of the LM — the part with the legs — was left behind on the moon when the ascent stage blasted off. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 16 astronauts snapped this view of the moon during their return trip to Earth. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 16 crew captured this view of Earth during their translunar coast. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 17 crew poses with their training lunar rover vehicle. Their mission patch is superimposed on the image and the Apollo 17 Saturn V rocket is in the background. The Apollo 17 crew consisted of (clockwise), Command Module Pilot Ron Evans, Command National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 17 Saturn V rocket is shown at dusk on pad 39-A in Florida. The Apollo 17 mission was the last to land on the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 17 launch was the first night launch of the Saturn V rocket. A night launch was necessary due to the chosen landing site on the moon for the mission. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Apollo 17 lifts off from the Kennedy Space Complex in Florida. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo captures the journey of Apollo 17 as it lights up the night skies in Florida. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This photo shows the Earth from space, as seen by the Apollo 17 crew. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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This view of the Earth, captured by the Apollo 17 crew, shows Africa and Madagascar. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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A crescent earthrise, as viewed from the Apollo 17 command module "America." National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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A closeup of view of the American flag on the surface of the moon with the Earth in the dark sky above. The Apollo 17 flag was the sixth and final American flag places on the surface of the moon by an Apollo crew. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The Apollo 17 lunar module "Challenger" is photographed on the surface of the moon while a half-Earth hangs in the sky above. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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An Apollo 17 astronaut works on the surface of the moon. The scene is lit by the rays of the brilliant sun, casting sharp shadows of the lunar rover vehicle. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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A boulder sits on the surface of the moon, while the Earth hangs in the sky above National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Harrison "Jack" Schmitt is photographed below Tracy's Rock on the surface of the moon. The boulder is named after Eugene Cernan's daughter Tracy. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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The command module and lunar module are required to dock in space prior to beginning their journey to the moon. This photo, taken from the command module, shows the docked lunar module and an earthrise over the surface of the moon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Geologist-astronaut Harrison "Jack" Schmitt is shown alongside the American flag on the surface of the moon, while the Earth hangs above both in the sky National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Geologist-astronaut Harrison "Jack" Schmitt threw his hammer at the end of the mission. The hammer can be seen in flight in this photograph. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Ron Evans, left behind on the Apollo 17 command module while his crewmates worked on the surface of the moon, performed a spacewalk after Commander Eugene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt rejoined him. This photo shows Evans at work in space National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Gene Cernan (left) and Ron Evans (right) are photographed in the command module during the Apollo 17 trans-Earth coast. As the astronauts were fond of saying, the benefit of flying in space is that if you get tired of sitting in one direction, you can jus National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Jackie Hicken
By Jackie Hicken

Photo gallery: On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy declared that the country should set a goal to — by the end of the decade — land a man on the moon and bring him safely back to Earth.

At the time the challenge was made, the U.S. had only made one 15-minute suborbital spaceflight.

NASA's Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs helped make Kennedy's goal a reality, with the first two programs providing the stepping stones needed to move on to the Apollo flights, which would eventually reach the lunar surface.

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Here's a photographic look back at the program that helped Americans not only reach Kennedy's goal, but actually reach it twice, by the end of 1969.

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