History of Moon in Timeline

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite, orbiting at an average distance of 384,399 km. It's tidally locked to Earth, resulting in synchronous rotation, where its rotation and orbital periods are identical, keeping the same side facing Earth. The Moon's gravity is the primary cause of Earth's tides.

1920: Comparative Studies of Lunar Craters

From 1920 to the 1940s, comparative studies were conducted on lunar craters, leading to the development of lunar stratigraphy.

1957: Sputnik 1 and the Start of Lunar Exploration

Following the first spaceflight of Sputnik 1 in 1957 during International Geophysical Year, the spacecraft of the Soviet Union's Luna program were the first to accomplish a number of goals in lunar exploration.

1958: Failed Luna Missions

In 1958, the Soviet Union's Luna program experienced three unnamed failed missions before successfully reaching the moon.

1959: Luna Program Successes

In 1959, the Soviet Union's Luna program achieved multiple milestones, including Luna 1 escaping Earth's gravity and passing near the Moon, Luna 2 reaching the Moon's surface by intentionally impacting, and Luna 3 taking the first photographs of the far side of the Moon.

1959: First Objects Sent to the Moon

In 1959, the first human-made objects were sent to the Moon, starting with the flyby of the Soviet Union's Luna 1 and the intentional impact of Luna 2.

1961: Kennedy's Commitment to Moon Landing

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to a crewed Moon landing before the end of the decade, leading to NASA's lunar exploration programs.

1966: First Lunar Soft Landing and Orbit

In 1966, Luna 9 performed the first successful lunar soft landing, and Luna 10 became the first vehicle to orbit the Moon.

1966: First Soft Landing and Orbital Insertion

In 1966, the first soft landing on the moon was achieved by Luna 9, and the first orbital insertion was achieved by Luna 10.

1968: First Human Mission to Lunar Orbit

In 1968, Apollo 8 made the first human mission to lunar orbit, which took place after the Soviet Union's Zond 5 carried the first Earthlings (tortoises) around the Moon three months earlier.

July 20, 1969: First Human Landing on the Moon

On July 20, 1969, humans first stepped on an extraterrestrial body, landing on the Moon at Mare Tranquillitatis with the lander Eagle of the United States' Apollo 11 mission.

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July 21, 1969: First Human Steps on the Moon

On July 21, 1969 (02:56 UTC), Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 mission, became the first person to set foot on the Moon. The Apollo TV camera transmitted this event, and an estimated 500 million people worldwide watched the live broadcast. At the same time the Soviet Union's Luna 15 was in orbit around the Moon.

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1969: Apollo 11 Landing Site Proximity to Lunar Cave

The analysis revealed that scientists have confirmed the presence of a cave on the Moon near the Sea of Tranquillity, not far from the 1969 Apollo 11 landing site.

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1969: Discovery of Moonquakes by Apollo Astronauts

The existence of moonquakes was an unexpected discovery from seismometers placed on the Moon by Apollo astronauts from 1969 through 1972.

1972: Moonquake Seismometer Placements

From 1969 through 1972, seismometers were placed on the Moon by Apollo astronauts, leading to the discovery of moonquakes.

1972: Apollo 17 Mission

In 1972, the Apollo 17 mission collected the high-titanium "orange glass soil" of volcanic origin, which later was found to contain 615-1410 ppm water in melt inclusions in May 2011.

1972: Last Crewed Mission to the Moon

In 1972, the Apollo 17 mission marked the last crewed mission to the Moon, during which 380.05 kilograms of lunar rock and soil were collected.

1973: Last Dedicated US Probe until 1990s

In 1973, Explorer 49 was the last dedicated U.S. probe to the Moon until the 1990s.

1977: End of Direct Data Transmission

In late 1977, direct transmission of data from the scientific instrument packages installed on the lunar surface during the Apollo landings concluded due to budgetary considerations.

1994: Clementine Spacecraft and Water Detection

In 1994, the bistatic radar experiment located on the Clementine spacecraft, indicated the existence of small, frozen pockets of water close to the surface of the moon.

1998: Lunar Prospector Mission

In 1998, the NASA Lunar Prospector mission collected data, which planetary scientists later used in 2016 to find two hydrogen-rich areas (most likely former water ice) on opposite sides of the Moon.

2006: Study of Ina Depression

In 2006, a study of Ina, a tiny depression in Lacus Felicitatis, found jagged, relatively dust-free features that, because of the lack of erosion by infalling debris, appeared to be only 2 million years old.

2007: Lunar Origin Theories Evolve

Models from 2007 and later suggest a larger fraction of the Moon derived from the proto-Earth.

2008: Chandrayaan-1 Confirms Water Ice

In 2008, the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft confirmed the existence of surface water ice, using the on-board Moon Mineralogy Mapper. The spectrometer observed absorption lines common to hydroxyl, in reflected sunlight, providing evidence of large quantities of water ice, on the lunar surface.

2009: LCROSS Detects Water in Polar Crater

In 2009, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) sent a 2,300 kg impactor into a permanently shadowed polar crater, and detected at least 100 kg of water in a plume of ejected material.

2010: Lunar Cave Discovery

In 2010, photos taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter were used to analyze and confirm the existence of a cave on the moon. The cave is identified as an entry point to a collapsed lava tube and is roughly 45 meters wide and up to 80 m long.

May 2011: Water in Lunar Sample 74220

In May 2011, 615–1410 ppm water in melt inclusions in lunar sample 74220 was reported, the famous high-titanium "orange glass soil" of volcanic origin collected during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

2016: Hydrogen-rich Areas Discovery

In 2016, planetary scientists using data collected on the 1998–99 NASA Lunar Prospector mission found two hydrogen-rich areas (most likely former water ice) on opposite sides of the Moon.

August 2018: Definitive Evidence of Water-Ice

In August 2018, analysis of the findings of the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) revealed for the first time "definitive evidence" for water-ice on the lunar surface. The data revealed the distinct reflective signatures of water-ice, as opposed to dust and other reflective substances. The ice deposits were found on the North and South poles.

2018: Water Ice Confirmed in Shadowed Areas

In 2018, using the Moon Mineralogy Mapper's reflectance spectra, indirect lighting of areas in shadow confirmed water ice within 20° latitude of both poles.

October 2020: Detection of Molecular Water

In October 2020, astronomers reported detecting molecular water on the sunlit surface of the Moon by several independent spacecraft, including the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).

2022: Simulations on Moon Formation

A study published in 2022 using high-resolution simulations found that giant impacts can immediately place a satellite with similar mass and iron content to the Moon into orbit far outside Earth's Roche limit.