NASA had a contingency plan in case Apollo astronauts were stranded near the Moon, but it was far stranger and riskier than you might expect.

Researchers at the University of Oxford have found that the Moon’s ancient magnetic field was not steady and long-lived but instead flickered on and off in brief, intense bursts tied to titanium-rich volcanic eruptions.

Rediscover the famous words exchanged between astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins during the first moon landing and see the historic photos they took.

Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan spoke some of the last words from the surface of the moon on December 14, 1972: “And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return: with peace and hope for all mankind.

Oxygen isotope analysis of lunar soil shows meteorites delivered only a limited amount of water to the Earth–Moon system after about 4 billion years ago.

This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. Apollo rocks show the moon’s magnetic field experienced intense spikes 3 billion to 4 billion years ago that exceeded Earth’s strength, though lasting only thousands ...

As he took his final steps before leaving the moon, Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan had some poignant closing words: “We leave as we came, and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” It was December 14, 1972, and Cernan ...

When he’s not at work, Sam Dove drives a Chevy Silverado 1500. But on the job, he gets behind the wheel of a 16-million-pound behemoth that’s been transporting NASA’s rockets

(Javier Zayas Photography/Moment/Getty Images) A new study may have solved a long-standing mystery about the Moon's magnetism: Why do lunar rocks brought back by the Apollo missions show evidence of an intense magnetic field sometimes rivaling or exceeding that of Earth today?