The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11

An entirely new class of astronomical object—a synestia—may be the key to solving the lingering mysteries of lunar origin

Modern satellite imagery and 3-D modeling give us a new view of how Apollo 11 played out

The lunar rocks brought home by Apollo astronauts reshaped our understanding of the moon and the entire solar system. Gathering more of them is one of the most important reasons to go back

All 122 attempts, visualized

Special Apollo 11–themed recommendations from the editors of Scientific American

Humanity first went to the moon to make a point. Now it’s time to overcome rivalries and pitch in together

Half a century after Apollo 11, we remember how we achieved the impossible and why we need to do it again

Do not make the U.S.’s lunar return an international clash

A new race could be heating up to claim valuable moon terrain amid uncertain laws

Buzz Aldrin recalls the simple strangeness of being on another world, such as how the dust rose and fell differently on the moon with each footfall. Steve Mirsky reports

Boulders, a crater, moon dust and an overworked computer all stood in the way of humankind's first lunar touchdown

The successful mission of Apollo 11 opens an epoch of manned lunar exploration. What questions should this exploration seek to answer, and what areas of the moon should be visited to best confront them?