An Apollo Mission. It was the Moon! This is how an Apollo mission was looking, and how these lunar missions are still living in the memory of people who were lucky enough to watch them. We are here in the phase when the Lunar Module (LM) upper stage, after having fired from Moon's surface -once the moonwalk performed- is to reach the Command and Service Module (CSM) to rendezvous. The CSM is seen on the Moon's background. Once the docking completed, the two astronauts who had walked on Moon, passed back into the Command Module (the head conical forward of the craft), the LM was jetisoned some time later as the Service Propulsion System (SPS), the large engine located at the rear, cylindrical part of the craft, was fired to boost the three-man crew back into an Earth trajectory. Lunar missions were initiated by President J.F. Kennedy May, 25th 1961 address, proclaiming that USA were to land men on Moon before decade's end and return them safely back Earth. This was done July 20th, 1969 when Apollo 16 landed in the Sea of Tranquility. The Apollo program kept on some time still as the last mission -Apollo 17- took place in December 1972. picture courtesy NASA