Feature Planetary Science

Apollo astronauts left trash, mementos and experiments on the moon

50 years later, the experiments still teach us things and the trash needs to be preserved

Apollo 15 lunar module

LUNAR LEFTOVERS   Astronauts, like those who touched down in the Apollo 15 lunar module (shown) in July 1971, left a lot on the moon’s surface, from scientific instruments to trash.

NASA

By Maria Temming

Once on the moon, Apollo astronauts had two major goals: get themselves and the moon rocks home safe.