Apollo 12 and Surveyor 3. Apollo 12 had as a target to launch just near a NASA's lander, Surveyor 3. Seven Surveyor missions had scouted at Moon for the Apollo program between 1966 and 1968. Apollo 12 was the next mission to Apollo 11 which had been the first mission landing at Moon. Apollo 12 launched November 14th, 1969 from the Complex 39-A at Cap Canaveral (now Kennedy Space Center, Fla.) and reached Moon. The Lunar Module took two crewmembers to the surface in the Ocean of Storms. Geological samples from a ray of Copernicus Crater, solar wind particles caught into an aluminum foil were brought back Earth, as were some parts of the Surveyor 3. On the other hand some microorganisms had been inadvertently left on the lander. They were found back and brought back by the crew. This was proving that microorganisms might survive the harsh conditions of space. The Apollo program continued some years more after these two first missions. Apollo 17 was the last mission of the program in December 1972. picture courtesy NASA