...time they "announce" that they have secured land on the moon. After all, they have spun and bs on everything else....
<table class="storycontent" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2">When GIC "Bought" the Moon
</td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="3"> <style> div.pc .panel-hd h2 { font-size: 1.4em; } div.pc .panel-bd p { font-size: 1.3em; margin-top: 1em; } </style> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/09/moon_landings/js/contextpanel.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" class="gloaded" src="http://wwwimg.bbc.co.uk/glow/glow/1.5.1/widgets/widgets.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/09/moon_landings/js/moon_landings.js"></script> <map id="moon_landings" name="moon_landings"> <area coords="560,320,660,348" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo11" shape="rect"> <area coords="223,329,323,356" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo12" shape="rect"> <area coords="375,337,475,365" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo14" shape="rect"> <area coords="441,168,541,196" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo15" shape="rect"> <area coords="524,395,624,423" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo16" shape="rect"> <area coords="604,212,704,420" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo17" shape="rect"> </map>
</td></tr> <tr> <td class="storybody"> <!-- S BO -->Forty years ago, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the Moon.
A further five missions landed on the lunar surface over the course of the next two-and-a-half-years.
Every Apollo crew made its own place in history as people on Earth watched to see what new discoveries would be made about our planet's satellite.
Click on the icons on the map above to see archive video from the six missions. For more on the Apollo landing see our <!-- S ILIN --> special report. <!-- E ILIN -->
APOLLO 11: Armstrong's one small step
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 16 July 1969.
Landed: 20 July 1969.
Moon activities: 2.5 hours.
Crew: Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Michael Collins.
American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon on 21 July 1969.
Armstrong and his partner Buzz Aldrin spent 21 hours on the lunar surface after Apollo 11's landing craft touched down.
APOLLO 12: 'Whoopee' for second landing
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 14 November 1969.
Landed: 19 November 1969.
Moon activities: 7.5 hours.
Crew: Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon, Alan Bean.
The second Apollo Moon landing was not without glitches, beginning with a lightning strike to the Saturn V rocket during launch.
On reaching the Moon's surface, mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad reacted in his own unique way.
Sadly, little else of this mission was captured on film, as Alan Bean broke the camera within minutes by pointing it directly at the sun.
APOLLO 14: Golf on the Moon
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 31 January 1971.
Landed: 5 February 1971.
Moon activities: 9 hours.
Crew: Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, Edgar Mitchell.
After the unwanted drama of Apollo 13, which failed to reach the lunar surface, 14 became the first of the "science missions", focusing on finding clues to the Moon's origins.
But the crew found time to enjoy themselves, with Commander Alan Shepard famously playing golf at the end of their two-day stay.
APOLLO 15: New focus on science
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 26 July 1971.
Landed: 30 July 1971.
Moon activities: 18.5 hours.
Crew: David Scott, Alfred Worden, James Irwin.
For the Apollo 15 mission astronauts David Scott and Jim Irwin studied with geologists before the journey so they would be able to make the most of their time on the surface.
At the end of the mission, Scott simultaneously dropped a feather and a hammer to prove Galileo's theory that in a vacuum objects of different mass fall at the same rate.
APOLLO 16: Crew gives Rover a spin
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 16 April 1972.
Landed: 20 April 1972.
Moon activities: 20.3 hours.
Crew: John Young, Thomas Mattingly, Charles Duke.
The second Lunar Rover was given a thorough test-drive on the Apollo 16 mission, reaching a speed of 11mph (18km/h).
The rocks found by Commander John Young and Lunar Module Pilot Charlie Duke in the Descartes highland region showed the landscape was the result of meteorite impacts rather than volcanic activity.
APOLLO 17: Farewell to the Moon
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 7 December 1972.
Landed: 11 December 1972.
Moon activities: 22 hours.
Crew: Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, Harrison Schmitt.
Nasa had planned a further three missions to the Moon, but these were cancelled as enthusiasm for the project - and its cost - waned.
But this final adventure contained many notable firsts, including the first night launch, the first scientist to join an Apollo crew, and excitement over the discovery of orange soil.
<!-- E BO --> </td></tr></tbody></table>
<table class="storycontent" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2">When GIC "Bought" the Moon
</td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="3"> <style> div.pc .panel-hd h2 { font-size: 1.4em; } div.pc .panel-bd p { font-size: 1.3em; margin-top: 1em; } </style> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/09/moon_landings/js/contextpanel.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" class="gloaded" src="http://wwwimg.bbc.co.uk/glow/glow/1.5.1/widgets/widgets.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/09/moon_landings/js/moon_landings.js"></script> <map id="moon_landings" name="moon_landings"> <area coords="560,320,660,348" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo11" shape="rect"> <area coords="223,329,323,356" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo12" shape="rect"> <area coords="375,337,475,365" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo14" shape="rect"> <area coords="441,168,541,196" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo15" shape="rect"> <area coords="524,395,624,423" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo16" shape="rect"> <area coords="604,212,704,420" alt="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8150559.stm#apollo17" shape="rect"> </map>
</td></tr> <tr> <td class="storybody"> <!-- S BO -->Forty years ago, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the Moon.
A further five missions landed on the lunar surface over the course of the next two-and-a-half-years.
Every Apollo crew made its own place in history as people on Earth watched to see what new discoveries would be made about our planet's satellite.
Click on the icons on the map above to see archive video from the six missions. For more on the Apollo landing see our <!-- S ILIN --> special report. <!-- E ILIN -->
APOLLO 11: Armstrong's one small step
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 16 July 1969.
Landed: 20 July 1969.
Moon activities: 2.5 hours.
Crew: Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Michael Collins.
American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon on 21 July 1969.
Armstrong and his partner Buzz Aldrin spent 21 hours on the lunar surface after Apollo 11's landing craft touched down.
APOLLO 12: 'Whoopee' for second landing
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 14 November 1969.
Landed: 19 November 1969.
Moon activities: 7.5 hours.
Crew: Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon, Alan Bean.
The second Apollo Moon landing was not without glitches, beginning with a lightning strike to the Saturn V rocket during launch.
On reaching the Moon's surface, mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad reacted in his own unique way.
Sadly, little else of this mission was captured on film, as Alan Bean broke the camera within minutes by pointing it directly at the sun.
APOLLO 14: Golf on the Moon
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 31 January 1971.
Landed: 5 February 1971.
Moon activities: 9 hours.
Crew: Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, Edgar Mitchell.
After the unwanted drama of Apollo 13, which failed to reach the lunar surface, 14 became the first of the "science missions", focusing on finding clues to the Moon's origins.
But the crew found time to enjoy themselves, with Commander Alan Shepard famously playing golf at the end of their two-day stay.
APOLLO 15: New focus on science
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 26 July 1971.
Landed: 30 July 1971.
Moon activities: 18.5 hours.
Crew: David Scott, Alfred Worden, James Irwin.
For the Apollo 15 mission astronauts David Scott and Jim Irwin studied with geologists before the journey so they would be able to make the most of their time on the surface.
At the end of the mission, Scott simultaneously dropped a feather and a hammer to prove Galileo's theory that in a vacuum objects of different mass fall at the same rate.
APOLLO 16: Crew gives Rover a spin
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 16 April 1972.
Landed: 20 April 1972.
Moon activities: 20.3 hours.
Crew: John Young, Thomas Mattingly, Charles Duke.
The second Lunar Rover was given a thorough test-drive on the Apollo 16 mission, reaching a speed of 11mph (18km/h).
The rocks found by Commander John Young and Lunar Module Pilot Charlie Duke in the Descartes highland region showed the landscape was the result of meteorite impacts rather than volcanic activity.
APOLLO 17: Farewell to the Moon
<!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226"> <tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> Launched: 7 December 1972.
Landed: 11 December 1972.
Moon activities: 22 hours.
Crew: Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, Harrison Schmitt.
Nasa had planned a further three missions to the Moon, but these were cancelled as enthusiasm for the project - and its cost - waned.
But this final adventure contained many notable firsts, including the first night launch, the first scientist to join an Apollo crew, and excitement over the discovery of orange soil.
<!-- E BO --> </td></tr></tbody></table>
