50 years ago, between July 1969 and December 1972, we landed a dozen Americans on the Moon. The #Apollo50 anniversary serves as a reminder of how the first views of Earth from the Moon transformed the way we see ourselves as humans. Apollo may have ended in 1972, but the Moon has remained of great interest to us and scientists around the world. With Space Policy Directive-1, President Trump refocused our work with international and commercial partners to go back to the Moon, with an eye to event

Fifty years ago today, on Aug. 2, 1971, a lunar liftoff was televised for the first time when the ascent stage of Apollo 15's Lunar Module Falcon departed the surface of the Moon with astronauts Dave Scott and Jim Irwin onboard. This clip combines the televised initial departure with onboard 16mm film, which includes views of the landing site and the descent stage, as well as of Hadley Rille. To highlight the all-Air Force crew, Al Worden in the orbiting Command Module Endeavour played the U.S.