A Triumph in Space: The Significance of Apollo 12's Success
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Apollo 12's journey was overshadowed by the dramatic events of other missions, yet its success was pivotal for NASA's ongoing space endeavors.
Pete Conrad found himself in a perplexing situation during launch. One moment, he was cheerfully narrating a “lovely lift-off,” and the next, alarms blared in his headset. He alone had witnessed the flash outside, but as his fellow astronauts scrambled to address the emerging issue, he remained unaware of its nature.
A natural aviator, Conrad was matched in skill only by Dick Gordon, seated beside him. His adeptness in simulations was complemented by a calm demeanor, masking the gravity of their mission. However, nothing could prepare him for the chaos that ensued. With a hint of worry, he informed Mission Control, “We had everything in the world drop out.”
Conrad speculated whether the flash outside was lightning, which turned out to be true. As Apollo 12 ascended, it was struck twice by lightning—a consequence of the heavy rain and potential storms from earlier in the day. The rocket's ionized gas acted like a lightning rod, drawing a bolt just 36 seconds into its flight. This surge disrupted the command module’s computer, leading to a loss of navigation systems just moments later.
Meanwhile, John W. Aaron, a flight controller at Mission Control, recognized the unusual telemetry data and recalled a simulation from a year prior. Amidst the frantic environment, he calmly suggested, “Flight, try S-C-E to Aux.” The obscure command puzzled his colleagues but was communicated to the astronauts. Only pilot Alan L. Bean remembered the switch's location; when he changed the S-C-E [Signal Conditioning Alert] to its auxiliary setting, the telemetry stabilized.
As calm returned, Conrad chuckled over the radio, “That’ll give them something to write about tonight.”
The Context of the Space Race
The year 1968 was tumultuous for America, marked by significant national tragedies and the Vietnam War's escalation. While the U.S. achieved a milestone in the space race with Apollo 8’s lunar orbit, the pressure remained to fulfill John F. Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the decade.
Initially intended for testing the Lunar Module in low-earth orbit, Apollo 8's mission underwent a drastic shift, risking much due to its tight timeline. With the Soviets making strides towards lunar orbit, as command pilot Jim Lovell remarked, “It was a time for bold moves.” The stakes were high—if America was to reach the Moon, it had to happen in 1969.
Despite disappointment over not being chosen for Apollo 11, Conrad observed with keen interest as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their historic steps on the lunar surface. Notably, he noted the time it took to locate Apollo 11's Lunar Module, which landed four miles off its intended target.
Apollo 11 marked a monumental moment in history, but the subsequent Apollo 12 mission held even more significance for the overall Apollo program. Although Apollo 11 satisfied Kennedy's mandate, NASA needed to demonstrate the capability of precise landings to plan future scientific endeavors effectively.
In the shadow of Apollo 11 and the near-catastrophe of Apollo 13, Apollo 12 often fades from public memory. Yet its success was crucial; the outcome would determine the future of Apollo missions 13 through 17, with potential failure threatening the entire program.
NASA had experienced its share of tragedies, including the near-fatal Gemini 8 incident and the Apollo 1 fire that claimed the lives of Grissom, White, and Chaffee. These incidents cast a long shadow over the Moon program.
Despite these risks, the camaraderie among Conrad, Gordon, and Bean resembled a lighthearted adventure film. Unlike the tense atmosphere of Apollo 11 or the solemnity of Apollo 8’s biblical references, the Apollo 12 astronauts radiated energy, humor, and enthusiasm throughout their mission. “People have to get some entertainment on these flights,” Conrad asserted. “You can’t just look out the window.”
A Crew of Competence and Fun
The Apollo 12 crew was not only highly skilled but also determined to infuse fun into their mission. Conrad and Gordon shared a long-standing friendship, known for their playful antics, while Bean's meticulous nature completed the trio perfectly.
“Got anything else to do tomorrow?” Conrad joked as they approached their landing. “We’ll go for a little Moon landing, how’s that?”
Despite the levity, a serious sense of duty lingered over the crew. After Sam Phillips' comment during Apollo 11's control room, “Next time, I want a pinpoint landing,” Conrad embraced this challenge. Although disappointed not to have flown on Apollo 11, he understood the mission's significance for the program's future, recognizing that success extended beyond merely returning home.
Years of experience had honed their skills, yet anxiety persisted as they neared the Moon. “I’m about as jumpy as I can be this morning,” Bean admitted on launch day.
The Lunar Landscape
The Moon's dark plains, known as lunar maria, contrast sharply with its lighter terrain. The far side remains largely untouched, while nearly a third of the near side is covered in these expansive basaltic formations. Despite their namesake, these maria have never contained water; they likely resulted from catastrophic impacts that removed much of the Moon's crust. These features, particularly visible from Earth, offered ideal landing sites for spacecraft.
Mare Tranquillitatis, the landing site of Apollo 11, is perhaps the most famous of the maria. However, Apollo 12 sought a landing location along the Moon's equator, where younger rock formations promised different geological insights compared to Apollo 11's site. Oceanus Procellarum, the largest of the maria, spans nearly 1,800 miles. NASA had previously sent the unmanned Surveyor 3 mission to this area in 1967, making it an excellent reference for Apollo 12.
As Apollo 12's Lunar Module, Intrepid, descended towards the crater of Surveyor 3, Conrad faced a dense dust cloud that obscured visibility. He relied heavily on intuition, despite extensive preparation, to ensure a safe landing.
During the descent, he shifted focus from the window to the instrument panel he had helped design. This was the only real piloting he would undertake on Apollo 12, and future missions aspired to replicate his nearly flawless landing.
The haze outside made it difficult to gauge their position accurately, but Conrad trusted his instincts, honed through countless simulations. Upon seeing the blue flash of the contact lights, he shut off the engine, and the module gently settled the last few feet. Bean's enthusiastic voice rang out, “Good landing, Pete! Outstanding.”
Finally, on November 19, 1969, Conrad stepped onto the lunar surface. With a playful nod to his predecessor, he declared, “That may have been a small one for Neil, but it’s a long one for me.”
Upon his return, Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci had gathered $500 for Conrad, convinced that Neil Armstrong's iconic “one small step” phrase was scripted by NASA. She had bet Conrad he couldn't come up with an original statement, a wager she ultimately lost.
Mission Success
Just 600 feet from the landing pad, Conrad spotted Surveyor 3. Applause and congratulations echoed from Mission Control, marking the mission's success.
Unlike Michael Collins, who felt isolated during Apollo 11's lunar landing, Dick Gordon envied the time Bean and Conrad spent on the Moon. While in the Yankee Clipper, he listened to their lively exchanges, sharing in their experiences from afar. The highlight of his orbit came when he recognized how close Intrepid and Surveyor 3 were, confirming the mission's success.
As Bean and Conrad conducted experiments and gathered samples, they deployed NASA's Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP), designed to monitor seismic activity and solar wind composition long after their departure. Gordon prepared for a brief burn to position the command module for the Lunar Module's return.
He had to request a moment of silence from Bean and Conrad to verify his work with Mission Control. Alone in the command module, everything moved at a slower pace for Gordon; fatigue, hunger, and nerves weighed heavily on him.
Proud of their accomplishment, Pete Conrad understood that Apollo 12 was a significant success. Yet stepping off the Lunar Module brought an unexpected sense of anticlimax; years of dedication to Apollo had dulled the awe of the moment. When reflecting on the mission, he would remember Gordon's delighted welcome back aboard the Yankee Clipper and the camaraderie shared with Bean, along with the jokes, music, and laughter that defined their experience.
Following Apollo 12, public enthusiasm for lunar missions waned. The fervor sparked by John F. Kennedy diminished, only briefly reignited by the challenges faced during Apollo 13. Without sustained public interest and funding, NASA ultimately canceled the program after Apollo 17 in December 1972.
It's easy to view these missions and their astronauts as isolated events, their names merely inscribed on a historical roster. However, the Apollo program's success resulted from years of hard work, collaboration, and dedication, as teams forged strong bonds and persevered to put a man on the Moon multiple times, perfecting the process each time.
The Legacy of Apollo 12
The legacy of Apollo 12 is profound. Its pinpoint landing success set a standard for all subsequent lunar missions. Had the lightning strikes caused a premature abort, resulting in the loss of the astronauts, it could have derailed the entire Apollo program. The tragedy of Apollo 1 had already raised serious doubts about the project’s viability; losing Apollo 12 would likely have halted further efforts.
Luck played a role in the mission's salvation: had Aaron not recalled the unusual data from a previous simulation, he might not have known to switch the signal conditioning equipment to its auxiliary mode. Timing was also crucial; if he had been at a different station or if Bean, who was originally not on Conrad's team, hadn't known the switch's location, precious seconds could have been lost. Nonetheless, for NASA, the outcome was a testament to careful preparation.
Described as one of NASA's “finest hours,” the success of Apollo 12 resulted from meticulous planning, extensive training, and the dedicated efforts of those behind the scenes, as highlighted in the 1972 report, What Made Apollo a Success.
Ultimately, it was people—like John Aaron, the engineers, and the astronauts—who made Apollo 12 possible. Their commitment ensured that humans left their mark on the Moon, despite the backdrop of public indifference, particularly exemplified by Dick Gordon, Al Bean, and Pete Conrad, whose contributions were vital to the program's continuation.
Cover image source: NASA
This piece was originally featured in History Today Volume 69 Issue 12 December 2019.