Coasting to the Moon

After reaching Earth orbit and confirming the lightning had done no lasting harm, the third stage fired and sent Apollo 12 toward the Moon. Three days of coasting through the void followed.

Richard Gordon performed transposition and docking: he separated the command module Yankee Clipper, turned it 180° and drew the lunar module Intrepid out of the launch-vehicle adapter. The joined stack then headed for the Moon at over 10 km/s.

Apollo 12’s aim was not merely to land, but to land PRECISELY. The navigation team shaped the trajectory so that Intrepid would touch down within sight of Surveyor 3, a probe that had stood on the Moon since April 1967 — the first attempt at a pinpoint crewed landing.

◉ Real photograph