Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Conrad Gordon Bean
Launched: November 14, 1969 Landed: November 19, 1969 Splashdown: November 24, 1969
"I see the Surveyor! I see the Surveyor!"
Apollo 12 stands out as the first of the Moon flights to achieve a pinpoint landing. Despite a rocky start caused by pre-launch lightning strikes and swirling lunar dust that obscured the lunar surface, Apollo 12 landed within 600 feet of its target, the Surveyor III probe, which had reached the Moon 31 months earlier. Now the astronauts could return parts of the probe to Earth for study of the long-term effects of exposure to the lunar environment. And being able to land in rugged terrain- the kind of site likely to offer the best scientific study - was vitally important for future missions. The astronauts explored the Moon for seven hours and 45 minutes, indicating that humans were capable of much more lunar activity than first thought. Though television broadcasts ended when Alan Bean inadvertently pointed the camera at the sun, Apollo 12 returned a wealth of lunar surface photos along with lunar rocks, soil - and pieces of Surveyor.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Exploration.
Location. 34° 42.667′ N, 86° 39.339′ W. Marker is in Huntsville, Alabama, in Madison County . Marker can be reached from Tranquility Base, half a mile west of Old Madison Pike NW, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville AL 35805, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Lovell Swigert Haise (here, next to this marker); Shepard Roosa Mitchell (here, next to this marker); Armstrong Collins Aldrin (here, next to this marker); Scott Worden Irwin (here, next to this marker); Young Mattingly Duke (here, next to this marker); Cernan Evans Schmitt (here, next to this marker); McDivitt Scott Schweickart / Stafford Young Cernan (a few steps from this marker); Schirra Eisele Cunningham / Borman Lovell Anders (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntsville.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2013, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 858 times since then and 21 times this year. Last updated on July 15, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. Photos: 1. submitted on October 25, 2013, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 2, 3. submitted on October 27, 2013, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 25, 2013, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.