Examine individual changes

'[[File:Lunar module AS12-51-7507.jpg|thumb|right|[[Apollo 12]] [[lunar module]] ''Intrepid'' prepares to descend towards the surface of the Moon. ''[[NASA]]&nbsp;photo.'']] The physical '''exploration of the Moon''' began when [[Luna 2]], a [[space probe]] launched by the [[Soviet Union]], made an impact on the surface of the [[Moon]] on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of exploration had been observation from Earth. The invention of the [[optical telescope]] brought about the first leap in the quality of lunar observations. [[Galileo Galilei]] is generally credited as the first person to use a telescope for astronomical purposes; having made his own telescope in 1609, the mountains and craters on the [[lunar surface]] were among his first observations using it. In 1969, [[NASA]]'s [[Project Apollo]] first successfully landed humans on the Moon. They placed scientific instruments there and returned [[lunar sample]]s to Earth. ==Early history== {{See also|Selenography|Lunar theory}} In [[Mesopotamia]], [[Babylonian astronomy|Babylonian astronomers]] by the early first millennium BC had discovered a repeating 18-year cycle of [[lunar eclipse]]s. They had also known by this time that 19 solar years is about equal to 235 lunar months.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.2307/1006543|title=Saros Cycle Dates and Related Babylonian Astronomical Texts|author=A. Aaboe, J. P. Britton, J. A. Henderson, [[Otto Neugebauer]], A. J. Sachs|journal=Transactions of the American Philosophical Society|volume=81|issue=6|year=2011|pages=1–75|publisher=[[American Philosophical Society]]|jstor=1006543|quote=One comprises what we have called "Saros Cycle Texts," which give the months of eclipse possibilities arranged in consistent cycles of 223 months (or 18 years).|postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}}}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=April 2010}}<!--The texts discussed in that article are more recent than 490 BC and, as mentioned in the paper, the observations can have occurred no earlier than that. The earliest reference for the Metonic cycle in Neugubauer's (1957) ''The Exact Sciences in Antiquity'' is 380 BC (p. 140).--> In the 2nd century BC, [[Seleucus of Seleucia]] correctly theorized that [[tide]]s were caused by the Moon, although he believed that the interaction was mediated by the [[Earth's atmosphere]]. According to [[Strabo]] (1.1.9), Seleucus was the first to state that the [[tide]]s are due to the attraction of the Moon, and that the height of the tides depends on the Moon's position relative to the [[Sun]].<ref>{{cite journal | first = Bartel Leendert | last = van der Waerden| authorlink = Bartel Leendert van der Waerden | year = 1987 | title = The Heliocentric System in Greek, Persian and Hindu Astronomy | journal = Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences | volume = 500 | pages = 1–569 | pmid = 3296915 | doi=10.1111/j.1749-6632.1987.tb37193.x}}</ref> By the mid-first millennium BC, [[Indian astronomy|Indian astronomers]] described the Moon’s monthly elongation in the ''[[Aitareya Brahmana|Aitareya Brāhmana]]''.<ref name=Sarma-Ast-Ind>Sarma (2008), ''Astronomy in India''</ref> By 499 AD, the Indian astronomer [[Aryabhata]] mentioned in his ''[[Aryabhatiya]]'' that reflected sunlight is the cause behind the shining of the moon.<ref name=Hayashi08Aryabhata>Hayashi (2008), ''Aryabhata I''</ref> The [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] philosopher [[Anaxagoras]] (d. 428 BC) reasoned that the Sun and Moon were both giant spherical rocks, and that the latter reflected the light of the former. His atheistic view of the heavens was one cause for his imprisonment and eventual exile.<ref>{{cite web | last = O'Connor | first = J.J. | coauthors = Robertson, E.F. | month = February | year = 1999 | url = http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Anaxagoras.html | title = Anaxagoras of Clazomenae | publisher = University of St Andrews | accessdate = 2007-04-12}}</ref> In [[Aristotle|Aristotle's]] (384–322 BC) description of the universe, the Moon marked the boundary between the spheres of the mutable elements (earth, water, air and fire), and the imperishable stars of [[aether (classical element)|aether]]. This separation was held to be part of [[Aristotelian physics]] for many centuries after.<ref>{{cite book | first = C. S. | last = Lewis | authorlink = C. S. Lewis | title = The Discarded Image | page = 108 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year = 1964 | location = Cambridge | isbn = 0-521-47735-2}}</ref> In the philosophy of [[Aristotle]], the heavens, starting at the Moon, were the realm of perfection, the sublunary region was the realm of change and corruption, and any resemblance between these regions was strictly ruled out. Aristotle himself suggested that the Moon partook perhaps of some contamination from the realm of corruption.<ref name="MOO">{{cite web|url=http://galileo.rice.edu/sci/observations/Moon.html|title= The Galileo Project|author= |accessdate=2007-09-14}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> In his little book ''On the Face in the Moon's Orb'', [[Plutarch]] expressed rather different views on the relationship between the Moon and Earth. He suggested that the Moon had deep recesses in which the light of the Sun did not reach and that the spots are nothing but the shadows of rivers or deep chasms. He also entertained the possibility that the Moon was inhabited. It had been suggested already in antiquity that the Moon was a perfect mirror and that its markings were reflections of earthly features, but this explanation was easily dismissed because the face of the Moon never changes as it moves about the Earth.<ref name="MOO"/> The explanation that finally became standard was that there were variations of "density" in the Moon that caused this otherwise perfectly spherical body to appear the way it does.<ref name="MOO"/> The perfection of the Moon, and therefore the heavens, was thus preserved. [[Aristarchus of Samos|Aristarchus]] went a step further and [[Aristarchus On the Sizes and Distances|computed the distance]] from Earth, together with its size, obtaining a value of 20 times the [[Earth radius]] for the distance (the real value is 60; the Earth radius was roughly known since [[Eratosthenes]]). During the [[Warring States]] of [[China]], astronomer [[Shi Shen]] (fl. 4th century BC) gave instructions for predicting solar and lunar eclipses based on the relative positions of the Moon and Sun.<ref name=Needham>{{cite book | last=Needham | first=Joseph | year=1986 | series=Science and Civilization in China | volume=3 | title=Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and Earth | place=Taipei | publisher=Caves Books | page=227; 411–416 | isbn=0-521-05801-5}}</ref> Although the Chinese of the [[Han Dynasty]] (202 BC–202 AD) believed the Moon to be energy equated to ''[[qi]]'', their 'radiating influence' theory recognized that the light of the Moon was merely a reflection of the Sun (mentioned by Anaxagoras above).<ref name=Needham/> This was supported by mainstream thinkers such as [[Jing Fang]] (78–37 BC) and [[Zhang Heng]] (78–139 AD), but it was also opposed by the influential philosopher [[Wang Chong]] (27–97 AD).<ref name=Needham/> Jing Fang noted the sphericity of the Moon, while Zhang Heng accurately described a lunar eclipse and solar eclipse.<ref name=Needham/> These assertions were supported by [[Shen Kuo]] (1031–1095) of the [[Song Dynasty]] (960–1279) who created an allegory equating the waxing and waning of the Moon to a round ball of reflective silver that, when doused with white powder and viewed from the side, would appear to be a crescent.<ref name=Needham/> He also noted that the reason for the Sun and Moon not eclipsing every time their paths met was because of a small obliquity in their orbital paths.<ref name=Needham/> [[Habash al-Hasib al-Marwazi]], a [[Astronomy in medieval Islam|Persian astronomer]], conducted various observations at the [[Astronomy in medieval Islam#Observatories|Al-Shammisiyyah observatory]] in [[Baghdad]] between 825 and 835 AD.<ref name=Langermann>{{Cite journal|title=The Book of Bodies and Distances of Habash al-Hasib |last=Langermann |first=Y. Tzvi |journal=[[Centaurus (journal)|Centaurus]] |year=1985 |volume=28 |pages=111–112 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0498.1985.tb00831.x|issue=2}}</ref> Using these observations, he estimated the Moon's diameter as 3,037&nbsp;km (equivalent to 1,519&nbsp;km radius) and its distance from the Earth as 215,209 miles, which come close to the currently accepted values.<ref name=Langermann/> In 1021, the [[Physics in medieval Islam|Islamic physicist]], [[Alhazen]], accurately explained the [[Moon illusion]] in the ''[[Book of Optics]]'', which stated that judging the distance of an object depends on there being an uninterrupted sequence of intervening bodies between the object and the observer. With the Moon, there are no intervening objects, therefore since the size of an object depends on its observed distance, which is in this case inaccurate, the Moon appears larger on the horizon. Through Alhazen's work, the Moon illusion gradually came to be accepted as a [[Psychology in medieval Islam|psychological phenomenon]].<ref>{{cite book | title = The Moon illusion | first = Maurice | last = Hershenson | publisher = Routledge | year = 1989 | isbn = 978-0-8058-0121-7 | pages = 9–10}}</ref> He also investigated [[moonlight]], which he proved through [[experiment]]ation that it originates from [[sunlight]] and correctly concluded that it "emits light from those portions of its surface which the sun's light strikes."<ref name=Toomer-463-4>{{cite journal |first=G. J. |last=Toomer |title=Review: ''Ibn al-Haythams Weg zur Physik'' by Matthias Schramm |journal=Isis |volume=55 |issue=4 |date=December 1964 |year=1964 |pages=463–465 |doi=10.1086/349914}}</ref> By the [[Middle Ages]], before the invention of the telescope, an increasing number of people began to recognise the Moon as a sphere, though many believed that it was "perfectly smooth".<ref>{{cite web | last = Van Helden | first = A. | year = 1995 | url = http://galileo.rice.edu/sci/observations/moon.html | title = The Moon | publisher = Galileo Project | accessdate = 2007-04-12}}</ref> In 1609, [[Galileo Galilei]] drew one of the first telescopic drawings of the Moon in his book {{lang|la|''[[Sidereus Nuncius]]''}} and noted that it was not smooth but had mountains and craters. Later in the 17th century, [[Giovanni Battista Riccioli]] and [[Francesco Maria Grimaldi]] drew a map of the Moon and gave many craters the names they still have today. On maps, the dark parts of the Moon's surface were called ''maria'' (singular ''mare'') or seas, and the light parts were called ''terrae'' or continents. The medieval followers of Aristotle, in the Islamic world and then in Christian Europe, tried to make sense of the lunar spots in Aristotelian terms.<ref name="MOO"/> [[Thomas Harriot]], as well as Galilei, drew the first telescopic representation of the Moon and observed it for several years. His drawings, however, remained unpublished.<ref name="MOO"/> The first map of the Moon was made by the Belgian cosmographer and astronomer [[Michael Florent van Langren]] in 1645.<ref name="MOO"/> Two years later a much more influential effort was published by [[Johannes Hevelius]]. In 1647 Hevelius published ''[[Selenographia]]'', the first treatise entirely devoted to the Moon. Hevelius's nomenclature, although used in [[Protestant]] countries until the eighteenth century, was replaced by the system published in 1651 by the [[Jesuit]] astronomer [[Giovanni Battista Riccioli]], who gave the large naked-eye spots the names of seas and the telescopic spots (now called craters) the name of philosophers and astronomers.<ref name="MOO"/> In 1753 the Croatian Jesuit and astronomer [[Roger Joseph Boscovich]] discovered the absence of atmosphere on the Moon. In 1824 [[Franz von Gruithuisen]] explained the formation of craters as a result of [[meteorite]] strikes.<ref>{{cite book | last = | first =| coauthors = | title =Энциклопедия для детей (астрономия)| publisher =Аванта+ | year = 1998| location = Москва| pages = | url = | doi = | isbn = 5-89501-016-4}}</ref> The possibility that the Moon contains vegetation and is inhabited by selenites was seriously considered by major astronomers even into the first decades of the 19th century. The contrast between the brighter highlands and darker maria create the patterns seen by different cultures as the [[Man in the Moon]], the [[Moon rabbit|rabbit]] and the buffalo, among others. In 1835, the [[Great Moon Hoax]] fooled some people into thinking that there were exotic animals living on the Moon.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/moonhoax.html | title = The Great Moon Hoax | last = Boese | first = A. | publisher = Museum of Hoaxes | year = 2002 | accessdate = 2007-04-12}}</ref> Almost at the same time however (during 1834–1836), [[Wilhelm Beer]] and [[Johann Heinrich Mädler]] were publishing their four-volume {{lang|la|''Mappa Selenographica''}} and the book {{lang|de|''Der Mond''}} in 1837, which firmly established the conclusion that the Moon has no bodies of water nor any appreciable atmosphere. ==Space race== {{Main|Space race|Moon race}} {{See also|Soviet Moonshot}} [[File:Lunokhod 1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Lunokhod 1]]]] The [[Cold War]]-inspired "[[space race]]" and "[[moon race]]" between the [[Soviet Union]] and the [[United States|United States of America]] accelerated with a focus on the Moon. This included many scientifically important firsts, such as the first photographs of the then-unseen [[far side of the Moon]] in 1959 by the Soviet Union, and culminated with the landing of the first humans on the Moon in 1969, widely seen around the world as one of the pivotal events of the 20th century, and indeed of human history in general. [[File:Moon landing map.jpg|thumb|left|Landing map of [[Apollo program|Apollo]], [[Surveyor program|Surveyor]] and [[Luna programme|Luna]] missions.]] [[File:Moon-apollo17-schmitt boulder.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Apollo 17]] astronaut [[Harrison Schmitt]] standing next to a boulder at Taurus-Littrow during the third EVA (extravehicular activity). ''[[NASA]]&nbsp;photo.'']] The first man-made object to reach the Moon was the unmanned Soviet probe [[Luna 2]], which made a hard landing on September 14, 1959, at 21:02:24 Z. The far side of the Moon was first photographed on October 7, 1959 by the Soviet probe [[Luna 3]]. In an effort to compete with these Soviet successes, U.S. President [[John F. Kennedy]] proposed the national goal of landing a man on the Moon. Speaking to a Joint Session of Congress on May 25, 1961, he said <blockquote>"First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space."<ref>[http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Speeches/JFK/Urgent+National+Needs+Page+4.htm Special Message to the Congress on Urgent National Needs Page 4 - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> </blockquote> The Soviets nonetheless remained in the lead for some time. [[Luna 9]] was the first probe to soft land on the Moon and transmit pictures from the Lunar surface on February 3, 1966. It was proven that a lunar lander would not sink into a thick layer of dust, as had been feared. The first artificial satellite of the Moon was the Soviet probe [[Luna 10]] (launched March 31, 1966). On December 24, 1968, the crew of [[Apollo 8]], [[Frank Borman]], [[Jim Lovell|James Lovell]] and [[William Anders]], became the first human beings to enter lunar orbit and see the far side of the Moon in person. Humans first landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969. The first man to walk on the lunar surface was [[Neil Armstrong]], commander of the U.S. mission ''[[Apollo 11]]''. The first robot [[lunar rover]] to land on the Moon was the Soviet vessel [[Lunokhod 1]] on November 17, 1970 as part of the [[Lunokhod program]]. To date, the last man to stand on the Moon was [[Eugene Cernan]], who as part of the mission [[Apollo 17]] walked on the Moon in December 1972. ''See also:'' [[List of lunar astronauts|A full list of lunar Apollo astronauts]]. [[Moon rock|Moon rock samples]] were brought back to Earth by three Luna missions ([[Luna 16]], [[Luna 20|20]], and [[Luna 24|24]]) and the Apollo missions 11 through 17 (excepting [[Apollo 13]], which aborted its planned lunar landing). From the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s there were 65 Moon landings (with 10 in 1971 alone), but after [[Luna 24]] in 1976 they suddenly stopped. The Soviet Union started focusing on [[Venus]] and [[space station]]s and the U.S. on [[Mars]] and beyond, on [[Skylab]] and [[Space Shuttle]] programs. Before the moon race the US had pre-projects for scientific and military moonbases: the [[Lunex Project]] and [[Project Horizon]]. Besides manned landings, the abandoned [[Soviet Moonshot|Soviet moon program]] included the building of a multipurpose moonbase "[[Zvezda (moonbase)|Zvezda]]", the first detailed project, complete with developed mockups of expedition vehicles<ref>[http://astronautix.com/craft/lekmplex.htm LEK Lunar Expeditionary Complex]</ref> and surface modules.<ref>[http://astronautix.com/craft/dlbodule.htm DLB Module]</ref> ==Recent exploration== [[File:Fullbl.jpg|thumb|right|[[Cassini–Huygens]] took this image during its lunar flyby, before it traveled to [[Saturn]]]] In 1990 [[Japan]] visited the Moon with the [[Hiten]] spacecraft, becoming the third country to place an object in orbit around the Moon. The spacecraft released the [[Hiten|Hagoromo]] probe into lunar orbit, but the transmitter failed, thereby preventing further scientific use of the mission. In September 2007, Japan launched the [[SELENE]] spacecraft, with the objectives "to obtain scientific data of the lunar origin and evolution and to develop the technology for the future lunar exploration", according to the JAXA official website.<ref name="index">{{cite web |url=http://www.selene.jaxa.jp/index_e.htm |title=Kaguya (SELENE) |accessdate=2007-06-25 |publisher=JAXA}}</ref> The [[European Space Agency]] launched a small, low-cost lunar orbital probe called [[SMART 1]] on September 27, 2003. SMART 1's primary goal was to take three-dimensional [[X-ray]] and [[infrared]] imagery of the lunar surface. SMART 1 entered lunar [[orbit]] on November 15, 2004 and continued to make observations until September 3, 2006, when it was intentionally crashed into the lunar surface in order to study the impact plume.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMBY5BVLRE_index_0.html| title=SMART-1 Impacts Moon| month=4 September| year=2006| publisher=ESA| accessdate=2006-09-03 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061025000823/http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMBY5BVLRE_index_0.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2006-10-25}}</ref> The [[People's Republic of China]] has begun the [[Chang'e program]] for exploring the Moon and is investigating the prospect of lunar mining, specifically looking for the [[isotope]] [[helium-3]] for use as an energy source on Earth.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://space.com/missionlaunches/china_Moon_030304.html| title=China Outlines its Lunar Ambitions| first=Leonard| last=David| publisher=Space.com| month=04 March| year=2003| accessdate=2006-03-20}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> China launched the [[Chang'e 1]] robotic lunar [[orbiter]] on October 24, 2007. Originally planned for a one-year mission, the Chang'e 1 mission was very successful and ended up being extended for another four months. On March 1, 2009, Chang'e 1 was intentionally impacted on the lunar surface completing the 16 month mission. On October 1, 2010, China launched the [[Chang'e 2]] lunar orbiter. [[India]]'s national space agency, [[Indian Space Research Organization]] (ISRO), launched [[Chandrayaan-1]], an unmanned lunar orbiter, on October 22, 2008.<ref>http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/Moonmission/Election_Story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080069654</ref> The lunar probe was originally intended to orbit the Moon for two years, with scientific objectives to prepare a three-dimensional atlas of the near and far side of the Moon and to conduct a chemical and mineralogical mapping of the lunar surface.<ref>{{cite web | last = | first = | coauthors = | title = Chandrayaan-1 Scientific Objectives | work = | publisher = Indian Space Research Organisation | date = | url = http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/objective_scientific.htm | doi = | accessdate = }}</ref><ref>http://www.deccanherald.com/CONTENT/Sep192008/national2008091890838.asp</ref> The unmanned [[Moon Impact Probe]] landed on the Moon at 15:04 GMT on November 14, 2008 <ref>{{cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7730157.stm| title=India sends probe on to the Moon| publisher=BBC| accessdate=2008-11-16 | date=November 14, 2008}}</ref> making India the fourth country to touch down on the lunar surface. Among its many achievements was the discovery of the widespread presence of water molecules in lunar soil.<ref>[http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-09-24-voa46.cfm Lunar Missions Detect Water on Moon]</ref> The [[BMDO]] and NASA launched the [[Clementine mission]] in 1994, and [[Lunar Prospector]] in 1998. NASA launched the [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]], on June 18, 2009, which has collected imagery of the Moon's surface. It also carried the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite ([[LCROSS]]), which investigated the possible existence of water in [[Cabeus|Cabeus crater]]. [[Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory|GRAIL]] is another mission, launched in 2011. ==Plans== {{See also|List of current and future lunar missions}} [[File:LRO 2006.jpg|thumb|right|The [[NASA]] [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]]]] Following the abandoned US [[Constellation program]], plans for manned flights followed by [[moonbase]]s were declared by [[Russia]], [[Europe]] ([[ESA]]), [[China]], [[Japan]] and [[India]]. All of them intend to continue the exploration of Moon with more unmanned spacecraft. [[People's Republic of China|China]] plans to land the [[rover (space exploration)|rover]] [[Chang'e 3]] on the Moon in 2012<ref>{{cite web | title =China's second moon orbiter Chang'e-2 goes to outer space | url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-06/09/c_13920425.htm}}</ref> or 2013, and to conduct a [[sample return mission]] in 2017. If successful, Chang'e 3 will be the first spacecraft to land on lunar surface, since [[Luna 24]] in 1976. [[India]] expects to launch another indigenous lunar mission by 2013 which would place a motorized [[rover (space exploration)|rover]] on the surface of the Moon.<ref>{{cite web | last = Staff Writers | title = Competition heating up for Moon exploration | work = | publisher = IOL |date= 2004-11-04 | url = http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=qw1101276721575B253 | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref> Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency ([[JAXA]]) plans a manned lunar landing around 2020 that would lead to a manned lunar base by 2030; however, there is no budget yet for this project and plan reverts to robotic missions.<ref>{{cite web | last = Staff Writers | title = Japan Plans Moon Base By 2030 | work = Moon Daily | publisher = SpaceDaily |date= 2006-08-03 | url = http://www.Moondaily.com/reports/Japan_Plans_Moon_Base_By_2030_999.html | accessdate = 2006-11-17 }}</ref> [[Russia]] also announced to resume its previously frozen project [[Luna-Glob]], an unmanned lander and orbiter, which is slated to launch in 2012.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_awst_story.jsp?id=news/aw060506p2.xml | title = Russia Plans Ambitious Robotic Lunar Mission | first = Craig| last= Covault |date= 2006-06-04}}</ref> [[Germany]] also announced in March 2007 that it will launch a national lunar orbiter, [[LEO (spacecraft)|LEO]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/weltall/0,1518,469219,00.html| title = Germany plans own Moon mission | first = Spiegel| last= news |date= 2007-02-28}}</ref> However the mission was cancelled due to budgetary constraints.<ref>http://www.n-tv.de/Nur_gucken_Nicht_anfassen_MondMission_geplatzt/120720081208/992885.html</ref> In August 2007, NASA stated that all future missions and explorations of the Moon will be done entirely using the [[International System of Units|metric system]]. This was done to improve cooperation with space agencies of other countries which already use the metric system.<ref>[http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/08jan_metricMoon.htm NASA - Metric Moon<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The [[European Space Agency]] has also announced its intention to send a manned mission to the Moon, as part of the [[Aurora programme]]. In September 2010 the agency introduces a "Lunar lander" programme with a target of autonomous mission to the moon in 2018.<ref>http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMUV2KOXDG_index_0.html</ref> On September 13, 2007, the [[X Prize Foundation]], in concert with [[Google|Google, Inc.]], announced the [[Google Lunar X Prize]]. This contest requires competitors "to land a privately funded robotic rover on the Moon that is capable of completing several mission objectives, including roaming the lunar surface for at least 500 meters and sending video, images and data back to the Earth."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/press-release/google-sponsors-lunar-x-prize-to-create-a-space-race-for-a-new-generation|title = Google Sponsors Lunar X PRIZE to Create a Space Race for a New Generation | publisher = X PRIZE Foundation | accessdate = 2007-09-13}}</ref> ==Timeline of Moon exploration== <!-- Objectives in order of increasing difficulty: flyby, impactor, orbiter, lander, rover, sample return sources:<br> [[Luna programme]]<br> http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Luna/Luna.php<br> [[Robotic exploration of the Moon]]<br> [[Timeline of Solar System exploration]]<br> http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/lunartimeline.html<br> [[Exploration of the Moon]]<br> [[List of man-made objects on the Moon]] --> {| class="wikitable" ! Mission (1950–1959) ! Launch ! Arrival at Moon ! Termination ! Objective ! Result |- | [[File:Seal of the US Air Force.svg|24px|link=United States Air Force|United States Air Force]] [[Pioneer 0]] || 17 August 1958 || || 17 August 1958 || Orbiter || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-1 No.1]] || 23 September 1958 || || 23 September 1958 || Impactor || Launch failure |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Pioneer 1]] || 11 October 1958 || || 13 October 1958 || Orbiter || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-1 No.2]] || 11 October 1958 || || 11 October 1958 || Impactor || Launch failure |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Pioneer 2]] || 8 November 1958 || || 8 November 1958 || Orbiter || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-1 No.3]] || 4 December 1958 || || 4 December 1958 || Impactor || Launch failure |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Pioneer 3]] || 6 December 1958 || || 7 December 1959 || Flyby || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 1]] || 2 January 1959 || 4 January 1959|| || Impactor || Partial success (first successful flyby 5,995&nbsp;km) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Pioneer 4]] || 3 March 1959 || 4 March 1959 || 7 March 1959 || Flyby || Partial success (flyby 60,000&nbsp;km) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-1A No.1]] || 18 June 1959 || || 18 June 1959 || Impactor || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 2]] || 12 September 1959 || 13 September 1959 || || Impactor || Success (first spacecraft reaching the moon surface, impacted east of Mare Serenitatis, discovered time variations in the electron flux and energy spectrum in the Van Allen radiation belt) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Pioneer P-1]] || 24 September 1959 || || 24 September 1959 || Orbiter || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 3]] || 4 October 1959 || 6 October 1959 || || Flyby || Success (first pictures of Moon far side) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Pioneer P-3]] || 26 November 1959 || || 26 November 1959 || Orbiter || Launch failure |- ! Mission (1960–1969) ! Launch ! Arrival at Moon ! Termination ! Objective ! Result |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-3 No.1]] || 15 April 1960 || || 15 April 1960 || Flyby || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-3 No.2]] || 16 April 1960 || || 16 April 1960 || Flyby || Launch failure |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Pioneer P-30]] || 25 September 1960 || || 25 September 1960 || Orbiter || Launch failure |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Pioneer P-31]] || 15 December 1960 || || 15 December 1960 || Orbiter || Launch failure |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Ranger 3]] || 26 January 1962 || 28 January 1962 || || Impactor || Failure (flyby) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Ranger 4]] || 23 April 1962 || 26 April 1962 || 26 April 1962 || Impactor || Failure (no mid-course correction, crashed at Moon far-side) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Ranger 5]] || 18 October 1962 || 21 October 1962 || || Impactor || Failure (flyby) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-6 No.2]] || 4 January 1963 || || 11 January 1963 || Lander || Launched into wrong orbit |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-6 No.3]] || 3 February 1963 || || 3 February 1963 || Lander || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 4]] || 2 April 1963 || >6 April 1963 || || Lander || Failure (flyby) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Ranger 6]] || 30 January 1964 || 2 February 1964 || 2 February 1964 || Impactor || Failure (TV camera, only instrument, did not work) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-6 No.6]] || 21 March 1964 || || 21 March 1964 || Lander || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-6 No.5]] || 20 April 1964 || || 20 April 1964 || Lander || Launch failure |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Ranger 7]] || 28 July 1964 || 31 July 1964 || || Impactor || Success |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Ranger 8]] || 17 February 1965 ||20 February 1965 || || Impactor || Success |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Cosmos 60]] || 12 March 1965 || || || Lander || Failed to leave Earth orbit |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Ranger 9]] || 21 March 1965 || 24 March 1965 || || Impactor || Success |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-6 No.8]] || 10 April 1965 || || 10 April 1965 || Lander || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 5]] || 9 May 1965 || 12 May 1965 || || Lander || Failure (crashed at Sea of Clouds) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 6]] || 8 June 1965 || 11 June 1965 || || Lander || Failure (flyby) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Zond 3]] || 18 July 1965 || 20 July 1965 || || Flyby || Success |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 7]] || 4 October 1965 || 7 October 1965 || || Lander || Failure (crashed at Oceanus Procellarum) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 8]] || 3 December 1965 || 6 December 1965 || || Lander || Failure (crashed at Oceanus Procellarum) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 9]] || 31 January 1966 || 3 February 1966 || 6 February 1966 || Lander || Success (first pictures from Moon surface, landed at Oceanus Procellarum) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Cosmos 111]] || 1 March 1966 || || 3 March 1966 || Orbiter || Launched into wrong orbit |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 10]] || 31 March 1966 || 3 April 1966 || 30 May 1966 || Orbiter || Success (first lunar orbiter) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Surveyor 1]] || 30 May 1966 || 2 June 1966 || 7 January 1967 || Lander || Success (landed at Oceanus Procellarum) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Lunar Orbiter 1]] || 10 August 1966 || 14 June 1966 || 29 October 1967 || Orbiter || Success |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 11]] || 24 August 1966 || 27 August 1966 || 1 October 1966 || Orbiter || Success |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Surveyor 2]] || 20 September 1966 || 23 September 1966 || 23 September 1966 || Lander || Failure (crashed near Copernicus crater) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 12]] || 22 October 1966 || 25 October 1966 || 19 January 1967 || Orbiter || Success |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Lunar Orbiter 2]] || 6 November 1966 || 10 November 1966 || 11 October 1967 || Orbiter || Success |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 13]] || 21 December 1966 || 24 December 1966 || 28 December 1966 || Lander || Success (landed at Oceanus Procellarum) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Lunar Orbiter 3]] || 5 February 1967 || 8 February 1967 || 9 October 1967 || Orbiter || Partial success (picture acquisition cut short) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Surveyor 3]] || 17 April 1967 || 20 April 1967 || 3 May 1967 || Lander || Success (portions subsequently retrieved by Apollo 12 astronauts) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Lunar Orbiter 4]] || 4 May 1967 || 8 May 1967 || <31 October 1967 || Orbiter || Partial success (picture acquisition cut short) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Surveyor 4]] || 14 July 1967 || 17 July 1967 || 17 July 1967 || Lander || Failure (may have exploded before reaching surface) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Lunar Orbiter 5]] || 1 August 1967 || 5 August 1967 || 31 January 1968 || Orbiter || Success |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Surveyor 5]] || 8 September 1967 || 11 September 1967 || 17 December 1967 || Lander || Success |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Surveyor 6]] || 7 November 1967 || 10 November 1967 || 14 December 1967 || Lander || Success |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Surveyor 7]] || 7 January 1968 || 10 January 1968 || 20 February 1968 || Lander || Success |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-6LS No.112]] || 7 February 1968 || || 7 February 1968 || Lander || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 14]] || 7 April 1968 || 10 April 1968 || || Orbiter || Success |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Zond 5]] || 15 September 1968 || 18 September 1968 || 21 September 1968 || Flyby || Success (first spacecraft and living beings to return to Earth from lunar flyby) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Zond 6]] || 10 November 1968 || 14 November 1968 || 17 November 1968 || Flyby || Partial success (depressurisation lead to biologicals death, crashed due to failure in parachute) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Apollo 8]] || 21 December 1968 || 24 December 1968 || 27 December 1968 || Orbiter || Success (first manned lunar orbiter) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-8 No.201]] || 19 February 1969 || || 19 February 1969 || Rover || Launch failure |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Apollo 10]] || 18 May 1969 || 21 May 1969 || 26 May 1969 || Orbiter || Success (lander test in Moon orbit) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-8-5 No.402]] || 14 June 1969 || || 14 June 1969 || Sample return || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 15]] || 13 July 1969 || || 21 July 1969 || Sample return || Failure (crashed at Mare Crisium) |- |rowspan="2" | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Apollo 11]] |rowspan="2"| 16 July 1969 | 19 July 1969 || 24 July 1969 || Orbiter || Success |- | 20 July 1969 || 21 July 1969 || Sample return || Success (21.5&nbsp;kg of lunar rocks retrieved, first humans on the Moon surface) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Zond 7]] || 7 August 1969 || 11 August 1969 || 14 August 1969 || Flyby || Success |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Cosmos 300]] || 23 September 1969 || || 23 September 1969 || Sample return || Launched into wrong orbit |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Cosmos 305]] || 22 October 1969 || || 22 October 1969 || Sample return || Launched into wrong orbit |- |rowspan="2" | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Apollo 12]] |rowspan="2"| 14 November 1969 | 17 November 1969 || 24 November 1969 || Orbiter || Success |- | 19 November 1969 || 20 November 1969 || Sample return || Success (First precise landing, recovered parts from [[Surveyor 3]]) |- ! Mission (1970–1979) ! Launch ! Arrival at Moon ! Termination ! Objective ! Result |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Apollo 13]] |rowspan="2"| 11 April 1970 || 15 April 1970 || 17 April 1970 || Sample return || Failure (flyby, crew returned to Earth) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[S-IV]] || 14 April 1970 || 14 April 1970 || Impactor || Success (provided signal for the Apollo 12 Passive Seismic Experiment) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna E-8-5 No.405]] || 6 February 1970 || || 6 February 1970 || Sample return || Launch failure |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 16]] || 12 September 1970 || 20 September 1970 || 24 September 1970 || Sample return || Success (first robotic lunar sample return, 101 g) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Zond 8]] || 20 October 1970 || 24 October 1970 || 27 October 1970 || Flyby || Success |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 17]] |rowspan="2"| 10 November 1970 |rowspan="2"| 17 November 1970 || 17 November 1970 || Lander || Success (soft-landed the Lunokhod 1) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Lunokhod 1]] || 14 September 1971 || Rover || Success (First lunar rover, travelled 10,54 kmd) |- |rowspan="2" | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Apollo 14]] |rowspan="2"| 31 January 1971 | 4 February 1971 || 9 February 1971 || Orbiter || Success |- | 5 February 1971 || 6 February 1971 || Sample return || Success |- |rowspan="2" | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Apollo 15]] |rowspan="3"| 26 July 1971 | 29 July 1971 || 7 August 1971 || Orbiter || Success |- | 30 July 1971 || 2 August 1971 || Sample return || Success (first manned [[Lunar rover (Apollo)|Lunar Roving Vehicle]]) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Apollo_15#Lunar_subsatellite|PFS-1]] || 4 August 1971 || January 1973 || Orbiter || Success (measured plasma, energetic particle intensities and lunar magnetic fields) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 18]] || 2 September 1971 || 11 September 1971 || 11 September 1971 || Sample return || Failure (crashed near the edge of the Sea of Fertility) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 19]] || 28 September 1971 || 3 October 1971 || 3–20 October 1972 || Orbiter || Success |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 20]] || 14 February 1972 || 21 February 1972 || 25 February 1972 || Sample return || Success |- |rowspan="2" | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Apollo 16]] |rowspan="3"| 16 April 1972 | 19 April 1972 || 27 April 1972 || Orbiter || Success |- | 21 April 1972 || 23 April 1972 || Sample return || Success |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Apollo_16#Subsatellite|PFS-2]] || 24 April 1972 || 29 May 1972 || Orbiter || Partial success (orbit decayed earlier than anticipated) |- |rowspan="2" | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Apollo 17]] |rowspan="2"| 7 December 1972 | 10 December 1972 || 19 December 1972 || Orbiter || Success |- | 11 December 1972 || 15 December 1972 || Sample return || Success (first geologist on the Moon) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 21]] |rowspan="2"| 8 January 1973 |rowspan="2"| 15 January 1973 || 15 January 1973 || Lander || Success (soft-landed the Lunokhod 2) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Lunokhod 2]] || 3 June 1973 || Rover || Success (longest rover journey on a celestial bodyi, 37&nbsp;km) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 22]] || 29 May 1974 || 2 June 1974 || early November 1975 || Orbiter || Success |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 23]] || 28 October 1974 || 6 November 1974 || 9 November 1975 || Sample return || Partial success (sample drilling failed) |- | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Luna 24]] || 9 August 1976 || 18 August 1976 || 22 August 1976 || Sample return || Success |- ! Mission (1990–1999) ! Launch ! Arrival at Moon ! Termination ! Objective ! Result |- | [[File:Flag of Japan.svg|24px|link=Institute of Space and Astronautical Science|Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan]] [[Hiten]] || 24 January 1990 || 19 March 1990 || 10 April 1993 || Orbiter || Success (first aerobraking maneuver by a deep space probe) |- | [[File:Bmdologo.png|24px|link=Ballistic Missile Defense Organization|Ballistic Missile Defense Organization]] </br>[[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Clementine (spacecraft)|Clementine]] || 25 January 1994 || 19 February 1994 || June 1994 || Orbiter || Success |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Lunar Prospector]] || 7 January 1998 || 11 January 1998 || 31 July 1999 || Orbiter || Success |- ! Mission (2000–2009) ! Launch ! Arrival at Moon ! Termination ! Objective ! Result |- | [[File:Not the esa logo 2.png|20px|link=European Space Agency|European Space Agency]] [[SMART-1]] || 27 September 2003 || 15 November 2004 || 3 September 2006 || Orbiter || Success (first use of an [[ion engine]] to reach the Moon) |- | [[File:Jaxa logo.svg|24px|link=Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency|Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency]] [[SELENE| SELENE (Kaguya)]] || 14 September 2007 || 3 October 2007 || 10 June 2009 || Orbiter || Success |- | [[File:CNSA.svg|24px|link=China National Space Administration|China National Space Administration]] [[Chang'e 1]] || 24 October 2007 || 5 November 2007 || 1 March 2009 || Orbiter/impactor || Success |- | [[File:Indian Space Research Organisation Logo.svg|24px|link=Indian Space Research Organisation|Indian Space Research Organisation]] [[Chandrayaan-1]] |rowspan="2"| 22 October 2008 | 12 November 2008 || 29 August 2009 || Orbiter || Success (discovery of water on the moon) |- | [[File:Indian Space Research Organisation Logo.svg|24px|link=Indian Space Research Organisation|Indian Space Research Organisation]] [[Moon Impact Probe]] || 14 November 2008 || 14 November 2008 || Impactor || Success (first Asian object on the surface of the moon) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]] |rowspan="3"| 18 June 2009 | 23 June 2009 || ongoing || Orbiter || Success |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[LCROSS|Shepherding spacecraft (LCROSS)]] || 9 October 2009 || 9 October 2009 || Impactor || Success (near observation of Centaur impact) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[LCROSS|Centaur upper stage (LCROSS)]] || 9 October 2009 || 9 October 2009 || Impactor || Success |- ! Mission (2010–Present) ! Launch ! Arrival at Moon ! Termination ! Objective ! Result |- | [[File:CNSA.svg|24px|link=China National Space Administration|China National Space Administration]] [[Chang'e 2]] || 1 October 2010 || 5 October 2010 || 9 June 2011 || Orbiter || Success (on extended mission to asteroid 4179 Toutatis) |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory]] || 10 September 2011 ||1 January 2011 || 17 December 2012 || Two orbiters || Success |- |} ===Future missions=== {| class="wikitable" ! Name ! Estimated launch ! Elements ! Notes |- | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer]] (LADEE) || August 2013 || Orbiter || Instruments will include a dust detector, a neutral mass spectrometer, an ultraviolet-visible spectrometer, and a [[laser communications]] terminal. |- | [[File:CNSA.svg|24px|link=China National Space Administration|China National Space Administration]] [[Chang'e 3]] || Second Half 2013 || Rover || Six-wheeled lunar vehicle to be landed at [[Sinus Iridum]]. |- | [[File:Roscosmos logo ru.svg|24px|link=Russian Federal Space Agency|Russian Federal Space Agency]] [[Luna-Glob]] |rowspan="2"| 2014 || Orbiter || Orbiter to include astrophysics experiments, dust monitors, plasma sensors, including the [[Lunar Orbital Radio Detector|LORD]] astronomy payload, designed to study ultra-high-energy [[cosmic rays]].<ref>http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/luna-glob.htm</ref> Carries cancelled Lunar-A penetrators. |- | [[File:Jaxa logo.svg|24px|link=Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency|Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency]] [[LUNAR-A|Lunar-A]] penetrators || Impactor || Two penetrators to deeply penetrate the lunar [[regolith]] on opposite sides of Moon.{{citation needed|date=February 2011}} |- | [[File:CNSA.svg|24px|link=China National Space Administration|China National Space Administration]] [[Chang'e 4]] || 2015 || Rover || Back-up to Chang'e 3 |- | ([[Private spaceflight|Private]]) [[Astrobotic Technology]] || 2015 || Lander, Rover || First scheduled launch of a [[Private spaceflight|private]] lander, rover and moon payload competing for various [[Inducement prize contest|prizes]] including the [[Google Lunar X Prize]].<ref name=aw20110208> {{cite news |title=SpaceX Lands Contract To Fly To Moon |url=http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2011/02/08/01.xml&headline=SpaceX%20Lands%20Contract%20To%20Fly%20To%20Moon |accessdate=2011-02-08 |newspaper=Aviation Week |date=2011-02-08 |quote=''Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology, a Carnegie Mellon University spin-off company, has signed a launch services contract with Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) for a Falcon 9 rocket to deliver a lander, small rover and up to about 240 lb. of payload to the surface of the Moon''}}</ref> |- | [[File:Indian Space Research Organisation Logo.svg|24px|link=Indian Space Research Organisation|Indian Space Research Organisation]]</br> [[File:Roscosmos logo ru.svg|24px|link=Russian Federal Space Agency|Russian Federal Space Agency]] [[Chandrayaan-2]] || 2016 || Orbiter, lander, rover || Orbiter to carry five payloads, three new, while other two are improved versions of those on [[Chandrayaan-1]].The [[Russian Federal Space Agency]] will provide the lander that will carry the Indian rover. |- | ([[Private spaceflight|Private]]) [[Shackleton Energy Company]] || 2016 || Lander, Rover || [[Shackleton_Energy_Company#Project_phaseing|Robotic precursor exploration rover]] to "identify and characterize the nature, composition and locations of the optimum ice concentrations at the [[Peary (crater)|north]] and [[Lunar south pole|south pole]] craters".<ref name=ss20121214> [http://www.thespaceshow.com/detail.asp?q=1914 Shackleton Energy's cislunar economic development plans] David Livingston interview with James Keravala, ''The Space Show'', 14 Dec 2012, at 55:25-57:40, accessed 2012-12-22.</ref> |- |} == See also == {{portal|Spaceflight|Moon}} *[[Colonization of the Moon]] *[[Helium-3]] *[[List of lunar probes]] *[[List of artificial objects on the Moon]] *[[Moon landing]] *[[Project Apollo]] *[[Shackleton Energy Company]] *[[Robotic exploration of the Moon]] *[[Timeline of Solar System exploration]] ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Moon missions}} *[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/lunartimeline.html Lunar mission timeline] - NASA *[http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=Moon&Era=Present Recent Lunar missions] - NASA *[http://www.ianridpath.com/moon/moon1.htm Exploring the Moon - A history of lunar discovery from the first space probes to recent times] *[http://www.onislam.net/english/health-and-science/news/453799-another-hit-to-hoaxtraces-of-man-on-lunar-surface.html Another Hit to Hoax:Traces of Man on Lunar Surface] {{Manned lunar spacecraft}} {{Moon spacecraft}} {{Planetary exploration}} {{The Moon}} [[Category:Exploration of the Moon| ]]'