Skip Navigation
menu close modal

Resources

Orion on the Horizon

spacecraft in the distance on the gray, sunlit lunar surface
Image Credit: NASA
Published: October 5, 2017

Orion, the Apollo 16 lunar module, as captured on April 23, 1972 by astronaut Charlie Duke during the third EVA of that mission.

Related

Close up image of the Oceanus Procellarum region of the Moon from the Soviet Luna 9 lander in February 1966.
More
Grainy black and white photo of the moon.
First Photo from the Surface of the Moon
Searchlights penetrate the darkness surrounding Apollo 8 on Pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center.
More
Searchlights illuminate the Apollo 8 spacecraft at night
Saturn Apollo Program
A spectacular high sun view of a pit crater in Mare Tranquillitatis as seen by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, revealing boulders on an otherwise smooth floor. Scientists estimate the depth to be...
More
Black and white image of deep crater on the moon.
Lunar Pits
The Bailey's Beads effect is seen as the Moon makes its final move over the Sun during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017.
More
bright glowing "beads" at the edge of the Moon as the Moon nearly completely covers the Sun
Bailey's Beads
Astronaut David R. Scott, commander, gives a military salute while standing beside the deployed United States flag during the Apollo 15 lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Hadley-Ape...
More
Astronaut giving salute beside American flag on the moon
Astronaut David Scott Gives Salute Beside U.S. Flag During EVA
This small, unnamed crater displays a beautiful ejecta pattern resembling a starburst. Looking at this image you can almost imagine the shower of ejecta falling to the ground. The pattern formed ou...
More
Black and white image showing a spray of impact debris from a moon crater.
Action Shot
The central peak in the Moon's Copernicus crater reveals the complexity of the lunar crust through distinct layering and patchy surface brightness. The area shown here is about 1.8 miles (3 kilomet...
More
tall lunar mountains
Copernicus Central Peak: Another Layered Target
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this oblique view of the area surrounding Hadley Base, the landing site of Apollo 15.
More
hills and valleys on the lunar surface
Soaring Over Lunar Mt. Hadley
Astronaut Alfred M. Worden, command module pilot of the Apollo 15 lunar landing mission, floats in space outside the spacecraft during his trans-Earth extravehicular activity (EVA).
More
Astronaut floating in space outside spacecraft
Astronaut Alfred Worden Floats in Space Outside Spacecraft During EVA
This image of the Moon was obtained as the Galileo spacecraft passed the Earth and was able to view the lunar surface from a vantage point not possible from the Earth. 
More
Image of the Moon as the Galileo spacecraft passed the Earth
Far Side of the Moon
A close-up view of the plaque which the Apollo 14 astronauts will leave behind on the moon during their lunar landing mission.
More
Apollo 14 plaque signed by three astronauts
Plaque the Apollo 14 Crew Will Leave on the Moon
Last image taken by Ranger 8 camera-A from a distance of 4.2 km, 2 seconds before impact on 20 February 1965.
More
Image of the surface of the moon
Ranger 8 Image Taken 2 Seconds Before Impact
Hardware and trails created by astronaut footsteps at the Apollo 11 landing site in Mare Tranquillitatis, as seen by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
More
Black and white image of the moon from orbit with small lines showing path walked by Apollo 11 astronauts.
Apollo 11 Landing Site
 Wargo Crater is an 8.6-mile (13.8 km) diameter impact crater sitting on the northwest edge of Joule T crater, on the far side of the Moon.
More
Double impact crater on the Moon.
Wargo Crater
NASA successfully launched Apollo 6 (AS-502) from KSC's Complex 39A at 7:00 am (EST) on a mission to qualify the Saturn V launch vehicle for manned space flights.
More
Apollo 6 spacecraft launch
Launch of Saturn V AS-502
Astronaut Walter Cunningham, Apollo 7 lunar module pilot, is photographed during the Apollo 7 mission.
More
Man inside spacecraft, looking up
Apollo 7 Mission, Lunar Module Pilot, R. Walter Cunningham
This photograph of the eclipse of the Sun was taken with a 16mm motion picture camera from the Apollo 12 spacecraft during its trans-Earth journey home from the Moon.
More
Sun eclipsed by the Earth
Earth Eclipses the Sun - Apollo 12
Replicas of Snoopy and Charlie Brown, the two characters from Charles Schulz's syndicated comic strip, "Peanuts," decorate the top of a console in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission...
More
Replicas of Snoopy and Charlie Brown on mission control console
Replicas of Snoopy and Charlie Brown Decorate Top of Console in MCC
A spectacular high-Sun view of a pit crater on the Moon's Mare Tranquillitatis.
More
a collapse pit in an otherwise smooth gray surface
Lunar Pit
Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., commander of the Apollo 13 lunar landing mission, pauses for a quick photo while training for the Apollo 13 mission.  
More
Portrait of astronaut James A. Lovell, Jr.
Portrait - Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr.
Lunar orbiter from Langley Research Lunar Orbiter Program.
More
Image of Lunar Orbiter 1 spacecraft
Lunar Orbiter 1
United States President Richard M. Nixon was in the central Pacific recovery area to welcome the Apollo 11 astronauts aboard the USS Hornet, prime recovery ship for the historic Apollo 11 lunar lan...
More
Richard Nixon greeting the three Apollo 11 astronauts
President Nixon - Welcome - Apollo XI Astronauts - USS Hornet
A ‘Harvest Moon’ rising over the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains as seen from Pasadena, CA in September 2016.  A ‘Harvest Moon’ is the full moon nearest the start of Fall, or the autumnal eq...
More
moon rising over mountains
Harvest Moon
Apollo 14 Mission Commander, Alan B. Shepard, Jr., waves to well-wishers as he and astronauts Stuart A. Roosa, Command Module pilot; and Edgar D. Mitchell, Lunar Module pilot, walk to the transfer ...
More
Astronaut waving while walking toward van
Saturn Apollo Program
Dunned in his space suit, mission commander Neil A. Armstrong does a final check of his communications system before before the boarding of the Apollo 11 mission. 
More
Neil A. Armstrong in his spacesuit
Saturn Apollo Program

You Might Also Like

Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates.
More
Diagram of the Moon's phases
Moon Phases
Between four and seven times a year, Earth, Moon and Sun line up just right to create the cosmic-scale shadow show known as an eclipse.
More
Composite of lunar eclipse phases over night sky
Eclipses
Several theories vie for dominance but most agree on one thing — Earth's Moon was born from destruction.
More
Artist depiction of two planets colliding.
Moon Formation