Apollo Project

Apollo Project, U.S. space program initiated by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961, to place a person on the moon by the end of the 1960s. The program's mission was accomplished (at a cost of over $24 billion) when the Apollo 11 Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the moon's surface on July 20, 1969. Subsequent flights allowed exploration of various areas of the moon. The program ended in 1972 with Apollo 17.

See also: National Aeronautics and Space Adminstration.