History of Moon in Timeline

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite, orbiting at an average distance of 384,399 km. It is tidally locked, meaning the same side always faces Earth. This is due to Earth's gravitational pull synchronizing the Moon's rotation and orbital periods, which is about 29.5 Earth days. Conversely, the Moon's gravitational pull significantly influences Earth's tides.

1920: Comparative Studies of Lunar Craters

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

1957: Launch of Sputnik 1

In 1957, during the International Geophysical Year, Sputnik 1 was launched, marking the beginning of space exploration.

1958: Failed Luna Program Missions

In 1958, the Soviet Union's Luna program experienced three unnamed failed missions before successfully sending objects to the Moon in later years.

1959: Luna 1 and Luna 2 Missions

In 1959, Luna 1 escaped Earth's gravity and passed near the Moon. Later that year, Luna 2 reached the Moon's surface by intentionally impacting it.

1959: First Human-Made Objects Sent to the Moon

In 1959, the Soviet Union's Luna 1 flew by the Moon, marking the first human-made object to fly to an extraterrestrial body. Also in 1959, Luna 2 intentionally impacted the Moon.

1961: Kennedy's Commitment to Crewed Moon Landing

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to achieving a crewed Moon landing before the end of the decade.

1966: First Soft Landing and Orbital Insertion

In 1966, Luna 9 achieved the first soft landing on the Moon, and Luna 10 became the first spacecraft to achieve orbital insertion around the Moon.

1966: Luna 9 and Luna 10 Missions

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

1968: Apollo 8 Mission

In 1968, Apollo 8 made the first human mission to lunar orbit, and before that the Soviet Union's Zond 5 carried tortoises around the Moon three months earlier.

July 20, 1969: First Human Landing on the Moon

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

July 21, 1969: First Human Steps on the Moon

On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 mission, became the first person to set foot on the Moon at 02:56 UTC, marking a culmination of the Space Race.

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1969: Apollo Astronauts Place Seismometers on the Moon

Beginning in 1969, Apollo astronauts placed seismometers on the Moon which led to the discovery of moonquakes.

1969: Proximity to Apollo 11 Landing Site

In 1969, the Apollo 11 landed on the Moon near the Sea of Tranquility, the location where a cave was later found.

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1972: Collection of "Orange Glass Soil"

In 1972, during the Apollo 17 mission, the high-titanium "orange glass soil" of volcanic origin, also known as lunar sample 74220, was collected.

1972: End of Apollo Missions and Longest Lunar Stay

In 1972, the Apollo 17 mission marked the last crewed mission to the Moon, with the crew staying for 75 hours, the longest stay on the Moon's surface.

1972: Apollo 17 Mission

In 1972, the Apollo 17 mission occurred. It remains the last crewed mission to the Moon.

1972: Apollo Astronauts Continue Moonquake Measurements

Through 1972, Apollo astronauts continued to measure moonquakes with the seismometers placed on the Moon.

1973: Explorer 49 Mission

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 to Earth from the Apollo landing sites concluded due to budgetary considerations.

1994: Clementine Spacecraft Radar Experiment

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

1998: Data Collection by Lunar Prospector Mission

Between 1998 and 1999 data was collected during the NASA Lunar Prospector mission that would later be used to find two hydrogen-rich areas on opposite sides of the Moon.

1998: Lunar Prospector Hydrogen Concentrations

In 1998, the neutron spectrometer on the Lunar Prospector spacecraft showed that high concentrations of hydrogen are present in the first meter of depth in the regolith near the polar regions.

2006: Study of Ina Depression

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

2007: Revised Lunar Origin Models

Models from 2007 and later suggest that a larger fraction of the Moon derived from the proto-Earth, challenging earlier simulations that indicated the Moon mostly came from the impactor.

2008: Chandrayaan-1 Confirms Surface Water Ice

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

2009: LCROSS Detects Water in Polar Crater

In 2009, LCROSS sent a 2,300 kg impactor into a permanently shadowed polar crater, detecting at least 100 kg of water in a plume of ejected material.

2010: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Photographs

In 2010, photos taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter were used to analyze and confirm the presence of a cave on the Moon, near the Sea of Tranquility.

May 2011: Water in Lunar Sample 74220

In May 2011, 615–1410 ppm water was reported in melt inclusions in lunar sample 74220, the "orange glass soil" collected during the Apollo 17 mission.

2016: Discovery of Hydrogen-Rich Areas

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

August 2018: Definitive Evidence of Water-Ice on Lunar Surface

In August 2018, analysis of the findings of the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) revealed "definitive evidence" for water-ice on the lunar surface, showing distinct reflective signatures of water-ice.

2018: Water Ice Confirmed Within 20 Degrees of Poles

In 2018, using the Moon Mineralogy Mapper's reflectance spectra on Chandrayaan-1, indirect lighting of areas in shadow confirmed water ice within 20° latitude of both lunar poles.

October 2020: Detection of Molecular Water on Sunlit Lunar Surface

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 Lunar Satellite Placement

In 2022, a study was published using high-resolution simulations that found giant impacts can immediately place a satellite with similar mass and iron content to the Moon into orbit far outside Earth's Roche limit. Satellites can survive even if they initially pass within the Roche limit.

November 1, 2023: Remnants of Theia Inside Earth

On November 1, 2023, scientists reported, based on computer simulations, that remnants of Theia, a celestial body, could still be present inside the Earth.