In successfully carrying out a manned lunar landing and return, with both operational and technological objectives, the Apollo program made possible a variety of significant scientific experiments. This important milestone in the continuing quest for knowledge took the eyes, hands, and mind of man, as well as his instruments, to a new world. The activities of highest priority carried out by the astronauts, once the landing had been successfully completed, were to collect lunar material and data, emplace sophisticated experiments, and record man’s impressions and observations.

In the missions ahead, scientific exploration of the Moon will be the principal goal. Unique features and sites on the Moon will be visited. New experiments, both on the lunar surface and in lunar orbit, will be carried out, as we probe the Moon’s past and attempt to unravel the early history of the Earth. In so doing, we will also be establishing and defining the possibilities and limitations of man as a space explorer as we extend his domain further in space.