Orbiter Photos Show Lunar Modules From First 2 Moon Landings More Than 50 Years Later

India's Chandrayaan-2 orbiter has captured stunning photos of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 landing sites, more than half a century after humanity's first steps on the moon. These images, taken in April 2021, were reshared this week on Curiosity’s X page, a popular hub for space exploration updates.

The post, aimed at silencing moon-landing deniers once and for all, was accompanied by the caption: "Image of Apollo 11 and 12 taken by India's Moon orbiter. Disapproving Moon landing deniers." The overhead shots clearly show the famous lunar modules left on the moon's surface.

Apollo 11, a mission etched into history, landed on July 20, 1969. This was when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the lunar surface, while astronaut Michael Collins orbited above in the command module. The lunar module "Eagle" eventually returned to the moon's surface after its critical rendezvous with Collins.

Four months later, Apollo 12—with astronauts Charles "Pete" Conrad and Alan Bean—became NASA’s second crewed mission to land on the moon. They joined the ranks of lunar explorers on November 19, 1969. The Apollo program wrapped up in December 1972, leaving Eugene Cernan as the last person to walk on the moon.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission, launched on July 22, 2019, honors this legacy of exploration. Coincidentally, it launched exactly 50 years after Apollo 11. Two years later, it delivered these remarkable images of the 1969 lunar landers, bridging the gap between the space age of yesteryear and today's ambitious explorations.

India has continued to make waves in space exploration. In 2024, the Chandrayaan-3 mission achieved a historic first by successfully landing near the moon’s south pole—a feat that has eluded other space agencies. It seems the moon, once a distant dream, is now a bustling hub of human curiosity and ingenuity.