Who Has Walked on the Moon? A Look Back and Ahead

More than 50 years ago, Neil Armstrong took the first step on the moon and said, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." It's a moment many of us know. But did you know only twelve people have walked on the moon? Yes, only twelve!

Back in 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin went on the Apollo 11 mission and became the first people to walk on the moon. They made history. After them, ten more astronauts left their footprints on the moon, with the last walk happening in 1972.

Now, here's some exciting news. We might see more people walk on the moon soon! NASA has a new plan called the Artemis program. In 2022, they sent a spacecraft, Artemis 1, to go around the moon without any people in it. But, they have bigger plans. By 2025, NASA hopes to land astronauts on the moon again with Artemis 3. And guess what? This time, we might see the first woman or person with a different skin color step on the moon. How cool is that?

But before we talk more about the future, let's remember the twelve brave people who have already walked on the moon:

1. Neil Armstrong- He was the first! He went on the Apollo 11 mission. Age when he walked: 38.

2. Buzz Aldrin - He was with Neil on the same trip. Age: 39.

3. Pete Conrad - He walked on the moon during the Apollo 12 trip. Age: 39.

4. Alan Bean - He was with Pete on Apollo 12. Age: 37.

5. Alan Shepard - He went on the Apollo 14 trip. Age: 47.

6. Edgar Mitchell - He was with Alan Shepard. Age: 40.

7. David Scott - He walked on the moon with Apollo 15. Age: 39.

8. James Irwin- He was with David on the same trip. Age: 41.

9. John Young - He went on the Apollo 16 trip. Age: 28.

10. Charles Duke - He was with John Young. Age: 36.

11. Eugene Cernan - He walked during the Apollo 17 mission. Age: 38.

12. Harrison Schmitt - He was the last one from Apollo 17. Age: 37.

So, twelve people have done this amazing thing. But with NASA's new plans, more people will join this special list soon. When someone asks you, "How many people have walked on the Moon?", you can tell them about these twelve and also say more are coming!