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NASA's Apollo space program lasted 11 years until 1972, culminating in a dozen men walking on the moon in its final years. But where are the moonwalkers today?![1_Neil_Armstrong_a]()
1. Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11, 1969: The crew of the Apollo 11 mission -- from left Neil Armstrong, Mission Commander, Michael Collins, Lt. Col. USAF, and Edwin Eugene Aldrin, also known as Buzz Aldrin, USAF Lunar Module pilot.![1_Neil_Armstrong_b]()
In this June 1, 2012, Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, attends a graveside service for Wilbur Wright on the 100th anniversary of the burial of the powered flight pioneer in Dayton, Ohio. Armstrong died on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012.![2_Buzz_Aldrin_a]()
2. Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11, 1969: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot, walks on the surface of the Moon near the leg of the Lunar Module "Eagle" during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA). Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera.![2_Buzz_Aldrin_Collins_Armstrong_b]()
In this July 20, 2009, photo, Buzz Aldrin, left, Michael Collins, center, and Neil Armstrong stand in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.![3_Pete_Conrad_a]()
3. Pete Conrad, Apollo 12, 1969: Known for his sense of humor and infectious grin, Charles P. "Pete" Conrad as commander of the Apollo 12 mission, was the third person to walk on the moon. Not a tall man, Conrad stepped down onto the lunar surface in November of 1969 and gleefully commented, "Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me."![3_Pete_Conrad_b]()
Conrad died on July 8, 1999, from injuries sustained in a motorcyle accident in Ojai, California. In 2006, NASA posthumously awarded him the Ambassador of Exploration Award.![4_Alan_Bean_a]()
4. Alan Bean, Apollo 12, 1969: Astronaut Alan L. Bean, Lunar Module pilot for the Apollo 12 lunar landing mission, holds an environmental sample container filled with lunar soil. Connrad, who took this picture, is reflected in the helmet visor of the Lunar Module pilot.![4_Alan_Bean_b]()
After retiring from the United States Navy in 1975 and NASA in 1981, Bean has devoted his full time to painting, NASA said. He said his decision was based on the fact that, in his 18 years as an astronaut, he was fortunate enough to visit worlds and see sights no artist's eye, past or present, has ever viewed firsthand.![5_Alan_Shepard]()
5. Alan Shepard, Apollo 14, 1971: Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. during suiting for the first manned suborbital flight, MR-3 mission. The Freedom 7 spacecraft, carrying the first American in space and boosted by the Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle, lifted off on May 5, 1961. Shepard walked on the moon ten years later.![5_Alan_Shepard_B]()
Astronaut Alan B. Shepard and his wife wave after receiving the NASA Distinguished Service Award from President John F. Kennedy in May 1961, days after his history making flight. He died of leukemia in 1998.![6_Edgar_D__Mitchell_a]()
6. Edgar D. Mitchell, Apollo 14, 1971: Astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell, Apollo 14 Lunar Module pilot, moves across the lunar surface as he looks over a traverse map. Lunar dust can be seen clinging to the boots and legs of his space suit.![6_Edgar_D__Mitchell_b]()
The sixth man to walk on the moon in 1971 after maneuvering the landing module from Apollo 14, he made two excursions to collect lunar samples with Alan Shepard. Mitchell left NASA in 1972 and went on to become an educator, lecturer and consultant.![7_David_Scott_a]()
7. David Scott, Apollo 15, 1971: David R. Scott, Apollo 15 Commander, is seated in a rover during the first lunar surface extravehicular activity at the Hadley-Apennine landing site.![7_David_Scott_B]()
David R. Scott was Director of NASA's Flight Research Center in the mid 70s, consulted on the movie Apollo 13 for Ron Howard and wrote the 2006 book "Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race." He lives in Los Angeles.![8_James_Irwin_a]()
8. James B. Irwin, Apollo 15, 1971: Astronaut James B. Irwin, lunar module pilot, works at the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the first Apollo 15 moonwalk at the Hadley-Apennine landing site. The shadow of the Lunar Module "Falcon" is in the foreground.![8_James_Irwin_B]()
Colonel Irwin resigned from NASA and the Air Force in July 1972, to form a religious organization, High Flight Foundation, in Colorado Springs. He suffered a serious heart attack and died on August 8, 1991, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery -- the first moonwalker to pass away.![9_John_Young]()
9. John Young, Apollo 16, 1972: Young (at left) was the first person to fly into space from Earth six times -- seven times counting his lunar liftoff in 1972. He flew two Gemini and two Apollo missions and was commander of the first space shuttle flight, aboard Columbia in 1981. He retired from NASA in 2004.![10_Charles_Duke_A]()
10. Charles M. Duke Jr., Apollo 16, 1972: Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., Lunar Module pilot of the Apollo 16 mission, collects lunar samples at Station no. 1 during the first Apollo 16 moonwalk at the Descartes landing site. Duke is standing at the rim of Plum crater, which is 40 meters in diameter and 10 meters deep.![10_Charles_Duke_b]()
Duke, at right in the official Apollo 16 mission portrait, curently lives in Texas, enjoys hunting, fishing, reading, flying and golf, and says it was an honor to be the 10th man to walk on the moon.![11_Harrison_Schmitt_b]()
11. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, Apollo 17, 1972: Schmitt, Apollo 17 lunar module pilot and a geologist, uses an adjustable sampling scoop to retrieve lunar samples during the second moonwalk at Station 5 at the Taurus- Littrow landing site. The cohesive nature of the lunar soil is born out by the "dirty" appearance of Schmitt's space suit.![11_Cernan_Schmitt_b]()
Scientist-astronaut Schmitt (at right) resigned from NASA to represent New Mexico in the Senate as a Republican in 1975, serving one term. He still lives in the state.![12_Gene_Cernan_a]()
12. Eugene A. Cernan, Apollo 17, 1972: Cernan, Commander of the Apollo 17 mission, salutes the flag on the lunar surface during NASA's final moon mission.![12_Gene_Cernan_b]()
Gene Cernan, commander of Apollo 17 and the last astronaut to walk on the moon, was also the second person to walk in space in 1966 as a pilot on Gemini 9. He retired from the Navy in 1976 and later started an aerospace consulting company in Houston.Where are the moon walkers now?
The Apollo space program stretched from 1961 to 1972, culminating in a dozen men walking on the moon in its final years. Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, died Sat., Aug. 25, at age 82. Where are the others today?
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- Where are the moon walkers now?
