On this day in space! Nov. 14, 1969: NASA's Apollo 12 astronauts launch to the moon on a 'pinpoint landing' lunar mission

On November 14, 1969, NASA's Apollo 12 mission embarked on a lunar journey to make history. This marked the second manned moon landing in the Apollo program, with astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean venturing onto the surface while Richard Gordon orbited the moon aboard the command module. Their landing site was carefully chosen, nestled within the Ocean of Storms, allowing them to get remarkably close to the robotic Surveyor 3 lander.

This mission aimed to study the survivability of the Surveyor 3 spacecraft, which had touched down on the moon more than two years prior. The astronauts were successful, collecting 75 pounds of lunar samples, primarily basaltic rocks formed from ancient lava flows. These samples provided crucial insights into the age of the lunar surface, revealing that the landing site was over 3 billion years old.

Apollo 12's successful pinpoint landing demonstrated the program's capability to target specific areas of interest on the moon, laying the groundwork for even more ambitious lunar missions. The mission also highlighted the vital role of a well-prepared Mission Control team, which would prove essential during the next mission, Apollo 13, when they managed to recover from a critical electrical short.